


Fox Verse

by natashawitch



Series: Fox Verse [1]
Category: Actor RPF, CW Network RPF, Merlin (TV) RPF, Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alpha Jared, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angst, Collars, Long verse, M/M, Mpreg, Omega Jensen, Omega Verse, References to Abuse, Were-Creatures
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-21
Updated: 2013-03-28
Packaged: 2017-12-06 00:26:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 9
Words: 58,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/729577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/natashawitch/pseuds/natashawitch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jensen Ackles is a lonely omega trying to live independantly in a society where omegas are oppressed and seen as weak. The urban government not only has cast omegas as the lowest in society, below betas and normals, but have for generations tried to tame the wild packs and bring them into so-called civillised society. However times are changing. The courts have ruled that wild alphas have rights. Jensen's life is about to be thrown into turmoil due to events beyond his control.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> My sister kindly read and sort of beta'ed for me. Thank her that chapter four is a much more believable piece of writing now. Also, not American, apologies for colour instead or color, honour instead of honor, etc.  
> Some surnames are different, so for example David Boreanaz is The David Wolf.  
> The Js and everyone else are not mine, just using their faces for my story.

Jensen sat at the small omega designated table in the corner of the office staff’s lunch room absorbed in his sci-fi novel. His glasses had slipped down his nose a little and he was biting his lower lip as Dingo-Boy-Beta tried to evade capture by the forces of the Alpha-Wolf-Consortium.

A loud voice jolted him back to reality; “Oy Oy, Jenny-boy? Don’t you want to throw in your Omega opinion on this?”

It was Jake from accounting; Jake-The-Jerk in Jensen’s mind. Jake was leaning so far back in his chair at one of the beta tables that it was balanced on two legs. The jackal-beta was glaring at Jensen who hadn’t a clue what the betas had been discussing.

“Sorry” Jensen apologised, “I wasn’t listening”. 

He mentally kicked himself for automatically apologising again, when he had nothing to be sorry for. Jensen had discovered that Jake was the only beta from a family of alphas. He had serious issues which he seemed to enjoy taking out on the only omega working at the firm.  
One time Jensen had responded to his taunts by calling him an alpha-wannabe to his face, which had led to a reprimand on Jensen’s employee file. He was not going to let the jerk rile him now.

Jake smirked at him, “We are all wondering what you omegas think of the Feral Integration Visit to our little town?”

“The what?” Jensen blinked.

“Oh come on Jenny, surely even you have seen the news bulletins, the protests?”

“No. Ahem, I don’t watch the news.” 

Jake looked at him as if he was an amoeba and the other four betas tittered in amusement. Jensen was not going to explain to a table of jerks that he found the news too upsetting and when he got home, he preferred to read or go on websites accessible to omegas.  
One of the betas threw the morning newspaper at him. 

"OMEGA RIGHTS GROUP SUBMITS PETITION  
Feral Integration Visit to Proceed As Planned  
Mayor Eases Omega Worries by Guaranteeing Continuous Supervision  
Following the landmark Supreme Court Ruling granting equal Alpha status to Feral Alphas, the integration programme is not to be derailed by irrational omega fears. The visit by the group from the State Transition House to the Rock Hill Battle Memorial will go ahead later today."

Jensen couldn’t read any more. 

He tried not to think about these things but here it was, his unclaimed status kicking him in the guts. He knew he was lucky. He thanked his stars every day that his father had owned his modest family home. Jensen had only been able to inherit the house because he was the only surviving Ackles, even a beta cousin in a distant den would have been more entitled to the house. He still sometimes woke in the night sweating with nightmares from the stories of those who had been in a State Run Home for the Unclaimed. He would have been confined to the institution until he was assigned to an alpha with virtually no hope of a true mating, and most likely a life as the baby machine for an Alpha/Beta couple, or as the second childminder Omega in a traditional fox family, where he would never have his own children. He shivered at the thought.

When Jensen looked up, Tracy, the receptionist, had pointed her fork at Jake, “You know, Jake, the visit is a concern to betas too. If one of those wild animals gets loose, you don’t think they won’t attack a beta if there are no omegas around. My omega-mother is confined to the house until they leave town. Father-Alpha says they are so feral that they probably can’t tell the scent difference between a claimed and a loose omega.”

Jensen cringed. He hated the term loose omega. It made it sound as if unclaimed omegas were sluts.

There was the sound of a throat being cleared. It came from the alpha table. Everyone looked up.

Tom Welling was staring at them. The head of marketing had leaned back in his chair. Jensen’s eyes fell on Mike, Tom’s omega, who was beautiful in his white wolf form, leaning against his master’s leg. So much less uncomfortable than when Jensen had to collect files from Tom’s office and could see human-form Mike acting as a cock-warmer under Tom’s desk. Most of the alphas didn’t bring their omegas to work, Jensen thought most of them probably didn’t let their omegas out of the house, but Tom and Mike had yet to have a litter so there were no pups to keep Mike at home.

Tom waited a moment until he had everyone’s attention. “The media scaremongering of feral alphas is an injustice. It is the government’s way of ensuring public support for delaying the granting of full alpha rights to these alphas, and of implementing the court ruling that those who wish to return to the wild packs, they were forcibly taken from by the last regime, are free to do so.”

Jake was shaking his head and he spoke up, “Those dirty wild packs should all have been forced to civilise decades ago.”

Tom actually growled at Jake who had the sense to lower his head, “Stupid Beta. Would you question the judgement of Alphas who wish to live the traditional life? The wild packs do not stop those who wish to leave for a modern pack; it is our modern packs and family groups who have illegally tried to force members of the wild to adapt to our ways. The court has ruled the end of this shameful practise and demanded improved assistance for those wild ones who come willingly to us.”

Tracy interrupted “Respectfully Alpha, they say that the feral ones cannot even communicate...”

“Tracy, I don’t mind telling you that my family are only a few generations removed from the wild and I spent summers as a pup with our wild wolf cousins. They communicate using the old universal language and because they spend much of their time in animal form, they use the pack mind to converse, and are closer to their wolves. I can’t speak for the other animal forms’ ways of non-verbal communication but it cannot be considered primitive or less than ours.”

Just then the bell went for the change of shift on the factory floor, which also signalled the end of lunch for the office staff. Jensen shoved his book in his satchel and waited until everyone else had cleared their stuff away to wash his own mug and plate. He pondered everything he had learned. It was fascinating to hear about alpha politics but he admitted to himself that he was unnerved at the thought of a group of wild unmated alphas visiting his town.

Jensen was back at his workstation and on his second file of data entry for the accounts department when Tracy’s voice paged Omega Ackles to the manager’s office. Jensen sighed. He found the manager, Alpha Morgan, intimidating but he knew everyone else, even other alphas did too.

Jensen knocked on the manager’s door, hoping he was only being called to take some handwritten notes to be word processed. 

“Enter” 

Jensen walked in with his head bent respectfully. He always felt his boss was one step away from insisting he kneel in his presence. The alpha was leaning against the side of his large mahogany desk, looking as imposing as every inch of his alpha size granted him. Jensen was tall for an omega but he had never met a male alpha shorter than him.

“Omega, this is your last day with us before your scheduled heat-leave.”

Jensen hated being referred to by his gender alone, and that wasn’t a question, he didn’t know if he should answer.  
“Yes sir.”

“I insist on my factory running as smoothly as possible. Can you assure me that you will be back at work in one week?”

This question was inappropriate, verging on harassment. An alpha employer had no right to ask about heats, but the question was not phrased that way, and Jensen felt the Alpha Obey pull to answer.

“Yes sir. My cycle is regular in duration and length. I have never interfered with it chemically. I assure you that I will clear the backlog of files as efficiently as after my previous heat-leaves.”

It was times like this that Jensen was glad he had seasonal rather than monthly cycles.

“I am glad to hear it. There was another item. When you return to work, I expect that you will have cut your hair.”

“My hair?” Jensen’s mouth dropped open.

“A military style short cut would be more professional, don’t you agree? I know you omegas like to play with an androgynous look but this 2 inch growth is untidy and you obviously needed an alpha to tell you what image this presents.”

Jensen felt the urge to obey the alpha but this was not his alpha, he had no right.

“I’m sorry, sir but I don’t believe I will be changing my hair but I will be sure to look professional for work.”

“Think on it Omega, I think you know I have standards.” Morgan sounded more threatening now, but he continued only to say “Dismissed.”

Jensen bowed and walked backwards to exit the office as convention dictated but he was fuming inside. He barely noticed what he typed until five o’clock, his mind filled with fantasy plans of what he would do to Alpha Morgan, like use Dingo-Beta-Boy’s laser sabre to behead him, and more realistic ones, like contacting the Omega Workers Helpline for advice, or just sounding off online to his internet friend and fellow were-fox Misha.

He was still absorbed in his thoughts as he gathered his belongings and began to walk home, through the rest of the industrial park, passed the trailer park, and towards Rock Hill and home. He kept his head down at all times. It was safer that way. The lack of a collar was a glaring signal to all alphas that he was unclaimed. Making eye contact was enough to be considered an invitation to mate. 

He crossed the street to begin his walk up Rock Hill. A car beeped its horn at him; he had narrowly avoided being hit by the vehicle. He needed to concentrate on where he was going. He missed the luxury of being in a car. His father had collected him from work every day. He missed his father very much. He had been alone since his father's death the previous year. His mother had died in childbirth when he was three years old. His parents were a beta couple and she had risked the birth complications that betas were susceptible to, but a second pregnancy had been one too many. 

Jensen had a normal childhood, even if he was a shy boy more interested in reading and art than sports or group activities. There were four other foxes in his year and they all got on really well. Alona and Richard loved to play as top-vixen and top-dog which made Jensen, Rachel and Gen their followers. The arrangement suited everyone well. When they reached puberty and Alona turned out to be alpha, no one was surprised. She mated with beta-Richard as soon as she reached alpha maturity at 16. Rachel and Gen were also betas. Jensen sometimes saw them around town with their non-fox mates, but of course they didn’t acknowledge Jensen anymore. Jensen was a late developer. He was 13 when he got his first heat. His father told him that he was happy that his son was omega. That it meant he would be guaranteed grand-kits of his own rare Ackles DNA and that he would find a fine fox alpha for his son. The next day Jensen was expelled from school as the law demanded but his father taught him from home and used the omega education website to give Jensen a chance of a real life before his mating. The house alone would not have been enough to ensure Jensen’s ongoing independence after his father’s death. He had a steady job that paid enough to feed and clothe him. He sometimes wondered if his father was over-protective of him. He had not allowed Jensen to attend any of mating parties as a teenager. He had called them meat-markets and said that Jensen was too young and that there were no available foxes at these functions, yet he refused to use the fox mating service either, saying he would have to know the fox he chose for his son. And so Jensen reached 25, the age of omega maturity, unclaimed, with only his father as his guardian. A month later Beta-Ackles suffered a massive heart attack at the restaurant where he had been the maitre’d. He was dead by the time the cops had brought Jensen to the hospital. Jensen shifted for the week of mourning, and he would have remained fox for longer, only he heard the social worker assigned to him talking about an Unclaimed Omega Home, and he made himself shift back and demand his right to independence as an omega with a home, a job and an education.

There were lights flashing ahead as Jensen rounded the corner at the steepest part of Rock Hill. There was a police cordon around the Battle Memorial Park. Shit. He had forgotten about the Feral Alpha Visit. He had meant to take the long way home and approach from the other side of the hill, but in his reverie his feet had marched him along his usual journey. He approached the edge of the cordon. He could read the site plaque from there, declaring the victory of the Alpha Confederacy over the Union of Betas and Normals 150 years ago. 

A cop approached him from the other side of the yellow tape, looking down at the top of his bowed head. “This is a restricted area. Residents only. Oh it’s you Jensen. Sorry, Omega Ackles.”

“Hi Paul, sorry I mean Hello Officer.” Jensen was relieved it was someone he knew, even if Paul Chavez had been a dick growing up.

“You still living in Rock Heights?”

“Yes Officer.”

“Okay.” Paul seemed to be chewing something over. “I’ll level with you. We have escaped or I should say absconded wild alphas. We are looking for them, but honestly we have no grounds to bring them in anymore if they want to leave. So you need to get home and lock your doors and windows. Jensen I’m serious here. I’ll escort you up to your house. OK?”

Jensen’s breath wasn’t working right and he felt a cramp start deep in his belly. Fear, he thought.

“Jensen are you in heat? Your scent just changed.” Paul’s head tilted back scenting the air.

“Ah, no, I shouldn’t be, not for another two days, but it could be pre-heat changes, strong emotion can do that and Paul, I’m freaking out here.” Jensen realised he really was panicking, and he pressed his palms together to stop his hands from shaking.

“You are lucky I’m mated, Omega, but I could always use a second.”

Jensen took a step back and Paul shook himself like a wolf emerging from a river dip.

“Ignore that, wolf talking, come on I’ll walk you up.”

The five minute walk was silent. Jensen watched cops and search party combing the park to the left of the hill, while trying to ignore that Paul was being quite handsy as he guided Jensen towards his house. Paul walked him through the gate and up the short path to the porch.

“I’ll stay here until you are inside and you have locked the door.”

Jensen nodded and thanked the cop as he dug out his keys.

“Listen Jensen, you need anything, I mean anything, over the next few days, you call me.”

Wow that ranked as one of the more subtle mating offers he had every received.

“Thanks Alpha, but I’ll be fine once I’m inside. Goodbye.”

Paul waited until Jensen was in, had turned off the alarm and dead-bolted the door. He waved back at Jensen from the gate, as Jensen looked out the sitting room window at him.

Jensen turned and picked up his house phone to ring Omega Services.

“Omega Services... dial 1 for an emergency... dial 2 to check in...”

Jensen pressed 2.

“Omega Services, Beta Amherst speaking, how can I help?”

“Jensen Ackles, 29179, checking in on return home from work.”

“Omega Ackles, do you intend to leave your home again this evening.”

“No.”

“Are you scheduled to work tomorrow?”

“No.”

“Please notify us if your plans change and when you next leave the house. Have a good evening.”

Jensen knew his plans would not change. All he wanted to do was get in his laundry and have an evening of ironing his work shirts while watching a DVD and talking to Chip his goldfish. He always wanted a pet, a cat or a dog-dog, he wasn’t fussy, but it wasn’t permitted. In his heat fuelled fantasies there was always a pet or two mixed into his life with a brood of kits and a shadowy alpha figure. 

He also might go online once he had eaten and see if Misha was there, if his alpha was on duty at the clinic and Misha had some personal time.

He put his oven on to heat and got a pizza from his chest freezer. That freezer was going to be his best friend during the next week, providing food when he couldn’t go out, and ice to help cool his heat.

He grabbed his laundry bag and peg box and headed out into the spacious back garden that backed onto playing fields and woods beyond. It was a warm still evening and if there hadn’t been crazy fucking alphas on the loose Jensen might have considered shifting and going for a run around his yard. He hadn’t shifted since Father died and it would be far too dangerous to run beyond his property without his Father’s fox form by his side preventing him from being mated while in animal form.

Jensen was humming to himself, he wasn’t sure what the song was, something from the piped muszak at work he supposed. There was a rustle in the bushes behind his garden tool shed. He could smell dog-fox. He smiled at the thought of one of his distant fully fox cousins looking for a den in a were-fox’s garden. He gave a light giggle as he turned back to the clothes, and therefore left himself blindsided as there was the sound of breaking branches too loud for a small animal.

Something crashed into him from behind, knocking him off his feet. His whole body was being pinned to the earth. He was completely covered by someone very large and very heavy, who smelled of dog-fox and rain-fresh soil and sweet honey. Jensen tried to scent properly but he couldn’t breathe from the pressure on his back.

“Hey,” he managed to protest, “Too heavy, getoffofme.”

There was a bark and then “Pretty, Vixen. Bitch.”

Ohgodohgodohgod. Jensen knew he was in some major shit here. This was a feral alpha and a fox to rub salt in the wound. How was he going to get out of this unclaimed?

“My name is Jensen, Jensen Ackles. Can we just ease back here, Alpha and talk about this?”

There was growl and the alpha pressed down more on Jensen’s body. Jensen guessed that was a negative to talking.

“Pretty, Pretty, Vixen. Mine.”

Jensen opened his mouth to protest but he couldn’t speak as his vocal cords were frozen by the claiming bite piercing the back of his neck. Internally he was repeating nononononono, but it made no difference as the huge alpha’s fox teeth penetrated further and blood began to flow ensuring the mark would scar for all to see. The alpha was sucking and worrying at the wound. Physiology took Jensen over. He relaxed under his alpha, his clenched fists falling open, his grimaced face muscles slackening, and his oestrus wetting his trousers, making him wet for his alpha’s entrance. The alpha ripped the back from Jensen’s pants while his jaws were still sunk in his neck. In his mind Jensen was screaming to be free but his body wasn’t listening and he was aware that on the edge of his consciousness his fox was gleeful, joyous at being finally claimed and by such a strong alpha.

The alpha lifted his head from Jensen’s neck but used a giant hand to pin him down between his shoulder blades.

“Still, little vixen-mate.”

Jensen obeyed. Even in his human-brain he knew things would only be worse if he didn’t obey this command.

The other giant paw was at his entrance and Jensen couldn’t stop himself from tensing up in fear.

“NO! Pretty. Mine.”

Jensen forced himself to relax as two thick fingers slid inside him and seemed to feel, examine and explore him. They probed and invaded him moving around, squelching in his slick, and filling him but not enough, he needed his alpha to give him more, but his human mind was distraught at the invasion, and he could feel tears pricking at his eyes while at the same time his dumb cock was swelling against his stomach and the hard earth.

“Good. Wet bitch. So good.”

Then he was being torn apart. Tears poured down his cheeks into the dirt below. All his fantasies of a caring loving mating were dust. This was reality. He was going to die in the dirt of his own yard. Pain was ripped through him. Then the alpha, His Alpha now, was stroking his back and licking at the mark on his neck. Then he was murmuring in his ear. 

“Good pretty, good mate. So good.” 

Something warm was growing in Jensen’s chest from the praise from his alpha, and the burn was lessening now, and he could scent the alpha, more honey now and fresh earth, and a little whiff of wild rosemary, which Jensen had always been told was his predominant scent. Their scents had mingled already. 

The alpha pulled him over so they were lying on their sides and Jensen could breath. The burn was gone now and his alpha’s hand was pulling Jensen’s cock out from the front of his ruined pants and he was pumping him. Jensen had never imagined a feral alpha seeing to an omega’s needs. That large hand was the only part of his alpha he had seen. It was enormous and longer than Jensen’s cock. He was fascinated in a distracting manner that at a certain angle the hand completely covered him. His alpha knew how to give a hand job as he squeezed the base and dragged his hand up and down in a demanding pattern. As Jensen started to harden he was aware that he needed more.

“Move alpha, please alpha.”

His alpha began to pull back and thrust in; setting a rhythm matched by his hand on Jensen’s stiff cock and the licks he was still stroking the mark with. Jensen’s hips arched and he pushed back looking for something more. They kept going at that pace as Jensen’s need to come increased. Then he felt the bulge push against his rim. His body released a wave of slick at the sensation.

“Alpha, please, too much.”

His alpha didn’t change his rhythm as the knot forced its way in, stretching Jensen beyond his limits. There was a moment when Jensen thought it wasn’t physically possible and then it was inside, and he was so full. He had never experienced anything as intense and blinding. So good as the knot pressed on his prostate. Jensen came all over his alpha’s hand and his own belly. He went limp in his alpha’s arms as the cock pulsed deep inside him filling him with his alpha’s release.

“Good Pretty Vixen, breed now.”

Jensen was too tired and overwhelmed to explain that he wasn’t in heat yet. He felt his eyes close and he fell asleep with a large hand on his brow.

When Jensen woke, he knew only minutes had passed. He was still knotted and his alpha was murmuring in his ear in the old language. Jensen didn’t understand a word, but the pitch and tone of the words felt like praise and worship and Jensen relaxed back against the large were fox, partially sated, partially defeated.

Once his alpha had stopped speaking, Jensen thought he would try to talk to him again, now that the mating haze had died down, and the gaps between the pulses of release were widening.

“Alpha,” Jensen kept his voice low and calm, “Can I know your name?”

The alpha chuckled, and a hand came around to stroke his brow again.

“I am Jared, second of Padalecki, son of Pack Alpha, envoy of the Eastern Packs. Or I was before. Your old pack status, mate?”

“Right. Well ahem; we are urban foxes for many generations. I am the last of my family, the Ackles.”

Jared gripped Jensen by his hips pulling him tightly against him lodging his knot further into his mate, causing Jensen to groan at the sensation.

“Not Ackles. Not now. You are Jensen, mate of the second Padalecki.”

“Jared?”

“Not Jared. Jared-mate, silly vixen.”

OMG was Jared going to insist on the old ways in everything, and he was not a vixen, he was a man.

“Jared-mate, I’m not a vixen.”

Jared chuckled again and wrapped his arm around his mate to fondle his balls.

“Yes. But not dog fox, my mate.”

Jensen didn’t want to anger his mate but really he needed to show he was not a doormat now or he might never be able to raise his head again. “I’m a man, Jared-mate. Please don’t call me vixen.”

“So pretty, strong in mind, good mate of second, The Gods chose well.” He began to lick at the mating bite again and Jensen’s strong mind went to jelly. His consciousness drifted again until he was aware of the knot going down and Jared pulled out. He rolled Jensen onto his back and pulled him up so that he was kneeling before his alpha.

Jensen kept his head bowed. His alpha’s feet and legs were bare. Of course they were. He had shifted from fox. Jensen wondered if his clothes were destroyed. He felt the tap on his shoulder, permission to look up and speak. He looked up and then up a bit more at the human form of his mate. It could have been a lot worse, Jensen decided. Jared was taller than the average alpha, which Jensen had already guessed from the size of the body covering his on the ground. Jared’s hair was long, resting on his shoulders. He had a couple of days growth of beard; it made him look scruffy but more human. He was built and obviously strong. His eyes were fox-like even in this form but the light was too low to make out their colour. Then he grinned at Jensen’s examination of him, and dimples formed in his face making him look younger and less fierce. 

“Smell burning?”

“Ok fuck, the oven is on.” Jensen jumped to his feet and ran to the back door of his house, not his house, Jared’s house now. He was greeted by smoke coming out of the oven and began to cough hard, his eyes streaming. Then he was shoved back and out the door, Jared moved in front of him, opened the oven, grabbed a towel and ripped out the in-tray and flung it with such force that it hit the back fence of the yard. Then he pushed open the kitchen windows to let the smoke out, opened the bottom oven and took the tray from there, slid the forgotten pizza onto it and put it into the top oven. Then he motioned Jensen to come back into the house.

“Wow, Jared-mate, your protective instincts are well developed.” Jensen quipped.

Jared wasn’t smiling, “Mine,” he growled, and pushed Jensen in front of him and into the sitting room. He took a seat cushion off the sofa and put it on the ground next to the easy chair. Then he pulled Jensen over and pushed on his shoulders until he had no option but to kneel in his own fucking house, not his house, Jared’s house.

“Stay.”


	2. chapter two

Day 1099 – Secure Basement Level Two – Mid Eastern Seaboard State Transition House – Morning Alarm Call

The cloying abrasive scent of bleach and air con filled Jared-fox’s lungs. His dream of the hillside den faded as his awareness grew. He was still in his room, his cell, in the State Transition House.

He expanded his consciousness, pushing mentally outwards. He felt the tangible brush of Home and was comforted by the knowledge that another day had passed and his family were still there. He knew that his Father-Alpha would be able to sense him too and know he was still alive. It was too great a distance to hope for any more than that.

He felt the brush of Ian-fox and Carlton-fox, submitting and acknowledging Jared’s status in the Home. They, the authorities, knew Ian and Jared had been friends in the wild and kept them apart as much as possible but Jared knew how to control a pack fox-mind. He had honed that skill with Ian and Carlton, and other foxes that had come and gone, over the last three years. Carlton’s mind felt near-by and busy. The middle-aged alpha fox was focused on his work as a Guardian of the House.

Jared longed to scent the air outside, to cleanse his lungs of cleaning chemicals. He whined at his own longing to see woods and grass and blue sky. His room had bare white walls and no windows, a punishment, or a learning exercise as they called it, because of his refusal to participate in integration lessons, and to shift to human form.

Jared could count on his fingers and toes the number of times they had succeeded in making him shift over the last three years. Nine times from prolonged starvation, three times when they threatened to deny Ian food, once in the early days to meet with a senior representative of the local government which was a waste of time, four times in recent months to meet with lawyers and Alpha rights advocates who were involved in the supreme court victory, and once to plan his current course of action.

Jared refused to participate in their degrading ‘Becoming a Civilised Alpha’ lessons. He had been forced to attend many but he stayed passive or in fox-form if he could. He didn’t need these lessons because he had no intention of ever living outside a wild pack.

His mind travelled back three years; the day he left the pack to go on a mating quest. Finding his True Mate was an obsession of his, as strong as his ambition to be the most complete and strong Alpha that he could be. 

His father understood his decision but was not happy with Jared’s resolve to abdicate his responsibility as Second in the family. The pack was integral to his father’s existence, consuming all his attention for as long as his only son could remember, and Jared knew it took a lot for his father not to forbid him the quest. His mother had cried as he departed and tried once more to persuade him to stay and mate with Lauren, the beta daughter of the Beaver Pack Alpha, or Nina, the beta niece of the Fell Pack Alpha. It was an old and worn debate, but Jared was firm that he would only mate his destined kindred spirit. 

Jared had formally removed his clothes and handed them to his father, giving him all his pack possessions as he left. Then he turned to Mark, the pack Third, and ignoring the older blond man’s distress at his departure, Jared lowered his head submissively to Mark, thus formalising that his rank was now lower than Mark’s and conferring the position of Second to him. 

Then Jared shifted to fox and left his home for the mating quest. He would return mated, or have to find another pack to take him. The second option was not a problem. Jared was an envoy, a combination of ambassador and glorified messenger boy, for the Eastern Fox Packs and occasionally for the Wild Were Council. He was known by many packs and he knew that ultimately his friend Ian Fell would get him a place at Fell Creek if all else failed. 

However, Jared was determined that he would not give up his search for his true mate. Having visited so many packs in the last four years, his mate must either be an urban fox or in a Western Pack. He planned to carefully visit surrounding towns and cities, avoiding the attentions of urban people by staying fox. If he had to shift, he could speak basic English and knew how to behave in public, having learned these skills as a council envoy. He had hoped this would protect him from detection.

He was only one moon away from home, when hunger drove him to raid some tasty looking skips. It was a trap. As soon as he was inside the skip, chewing on a cooked chicken carcass, the lid slammed closed and the drugs in the planted carcass dragged him into unconsciousness. 

Now he was 3 years older and he could hear his mother’s voice asking him what beta-vixen would want such an old unmated alpha. 

He could sense Carlton getting closer to his room. He sat up on his front paws in anticipation. Carlton’s transfer to this ST-House two years ago had been a godsend. Until then all the guards had been wolves and jackals. On Carlton’s first night he had been assigned the task of bringing water to Jared, who was on lock down and his tenth day of being denied food due to his refusal to shift. When Carlton entered his room they scented each other, and Carlton turned his back on the security camera as he lowered his eyes. Jared was surprised that an alpha urban fox and one that worked for the enemy would recognise, let alone acknowledge, their natural pack statuses. 

They had to be careful that Carlton was always professional, even unfriendly, to Jared on the surface, as their friendship grew via fox-mind. From the early days Carlton kept Jared updated on the lengthy alpha rights court case and helped him get approval for visits of the campaign team. 

When the case had been won, it became clear that the government had no intention of freeing the wild alphas that they already had in custody. The disappointment in the House was crushing but Carlton kept Ian and Jared’s spirits up by sharing a loophole that if they could escape, the government could not legally force them to come back.

It was Jared’s decision on how to proceed. Should they stage a mass break-out or try and leave individually or something in between?

Jared needed counsel so he shifted to approach The David Wolf during their obligatory English Class. As the teacher’s monotone drone listed obscure grammar rules, in the back row Jared leaned over and pressed his hand on David’s arm to wake him from his doze. David’s eyes flew open looking for who had dared to touch him. He looked at Jared. Jared could see the tall dark haired Uber-Alpha Wolf swallowing his anger and controlling his instinct to fight Jared for dominance. 

David whispered in the old language “You must have something important to say Padalecki to risk placing a hand on me.”

Jared met David’s gaze and bared his teeth to demonstrate that he was not asking a favour of the wolf.

“David-Wolf, I seek to bring you into my counsel.”

“Why would I want to parlay with you, Fox?”

“Guard Carlton has unlocked the storage room on level three. Meet me and Ian Fell there after roll call. It will be worth it.”

Jared leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, not looking at David to check his reaction.

David kept Jared and Ian waiting. Ian doubted that he was coming but Jared knew it was a power play. Finally David marched into small room with his arms folded. 

“Out” he growled at Ian.

Ian looked at Jared who nodded.

When they were alone, Jared shared all his information on their new legal status and his embryonic escape plans. David was against a mass breakout. It would never succeed and end with too many causalities. Jared agreed. Finally they concluded that only Jared, Ian and David would attempt the escape and they would not communicate about it with any other alpha, excepting Carlton whose assistance they would need. No-one else would be implicated in their escape or punished as a consequence. 

Just as Jared stood up and stretched to leave, David shared his own piece of secret intelligence. As part of the new ‘kinder’ integration programme, they would be eligible to go on selected supervised field trips. One of the wolf guardians who was a history buff had been unable to resist telling David that ten of their house alphas would be allowed to go to Rock Hill Battle Memorial the following month.

There was not much planning involved from there. The history buff wolf was proud to get The David Wolf’s name added to the list for the trip. Carlton added Ian’s name without a hitch, but Jared was considered an intransigent and it was only through a bribe to the House Psychologist for a report saying that Jared’s mental health was in danger from his prolonged seclusion and lack of daylight that Carlton managed to convince the official in charge to include Jared.

Jared was pulled back from his memories by the sound of locks on his door clicking open. He looked up at Carlton who said, “It is a beautiful day, Alpha-Jared, a good day to go outside.”

Carlton had plain undyed cotton trousers, a button down shirt and pair of canvas slip on shoes for Jared. He laid them over the end of the bed as Jared shifted to his human form.

Carlton stayed silent while Jared stretched and cracked his neck. He handed Jared the shirt and Jared noticed a slight shake in the guard’s hand.

Jared whispered in the old tongue, “Don’t worry Carlton. It will be fine. Remember if it doesn’t work, we will try again, and none of the three of us will reveal your role.”

Carlton just nodded briefly to acknowledge Jared’s kind words. They had been over the plan countless times.

“Put your hands out, Alpha.” Carlton commanded in a voice loud enough to be heard outside the room. 

As he fastened chained manacles around Jared’s wrists, he spoke softly in the old language; “Just until we are on the bus.”, then louder, “Come now and eat with the other alphas, the bus is due in the next hour.”

The bus had ten other alphas and their ten assigned guards from another State Transition House on board when it pulled up in the yard of their House. They were walked from the waiting area to the bus with the chain from their manacles already attached to the wrist of their assigned guard. Jared couldn’t help pausing for a moment to look up at the sky and breathe the diesel tainted air. Carlton pulled him along and they were seated in the front row of the bus. Jared wondered if Carlton had arranged their seats so he could see the countryside as they travelled or if it was just part of the usual arrangement because Ian was in the back row. Twisting his neck around he could see David’s dark hair about four rows back from the front.

As Carlton promised the manacles were released on the bus, and the atmosphere was friendly and relaxed as the guards seemed to ease off now that they were outside the Houses and the alphas from each House introduced each other. In the front row Jared didn’t participate in the meet and greet, but he could hear what was being said. The whispers grew that the Padalecki heir was onboard and so was The David Wolf. 

David was not as tolerant of gossiping and he boomed out his presence after only a few miles. Then there was the ridiculous ritual of wolf alphas, wild and guards from the other house, trooping up and down the bus aisle to kneel in front of David as he laid his hand on the top of their heads. 

Jared snorted to himself in amusement until a fox alpha knelt beside his own seat and spoke in English, “Alexander Star, of the Western Star Pack, son of the pack, it is an honour to meet you.”

The alpha kneeling in front of him was only barely mature, maybe 16 or 17. He was tall and malnourished, his pale cheeks sunken and his short blond hair uncombed. Jared’s heart sank at the thought of escaping without this poor fox. He placed his hand on Alexander’s head.  
“Jared, second of Padalecki, son of Pack Alpha, envoy of the Eastern Packs, Fox Alpha of the State Transition House. Alexander, your father?”

Alexander hung his head. “I don’t know, Alpha. I was taken ten years ago in a raid. I don’t have many memories of my pack. I was raised in a city foster home until I knotted and became disobedient to my carers. I was moved to the House when I was 14.”

Jared used his hand to stroke Alexander’s head. He knew the Star pack had been decimated by raids in the beginning of the forced integration. His own three year confinement paled in comparison to Alexander’s life.

“Alexander, if and when we can decide to go, you come to Padalecki den.” Jared knew his father would never deny such a fox a home.  
The bus stopped and everyone was asked to return to their seats. Jared could sense Alexander’s emotional reaction to his offer, but there was no time to talk more.

As they got off the bus each guard used a cable tie to bind the wild alphas’ hands in front of them. 

They were in the small parking area of Rock Hill Battle Memorial Park. It was a clear and sun lit afternoon. Jared didn’t let the town smells destroy his enjoyment of the scent coming from the park below them. He felt the urge to shift and run through the park but suppressed it easily. The tour guide approached them and began his introduction to the history of the site. That was their signal. Jared snapped his head backwards to break Carlton’s nose as agreed. As Carlton crumpled to his knees Jared ran. He hoped Ian and David would not badly injure their guards. As he gained speed he snapped the cable tie around his wrists and ignoring the pull of nature and the park, too obvious a direction, he ran across the road and a manicured lawn, vaulting a six foot fence to begin his journey home.

After a few more gardens he was high on the hill and could look down. He could spot Ian and David in the lower reaches of the park being persued by some of the guards, not Carlton or any of the wolves, as far as he could tell at that distance.

He could scent and sense woods further up the hill and beyond more rows of houses, and moved in that direction. He made it to a long row of back gardens when he heard a cacophony of sirens. There was going to be a more concerted search very soon. They would sweep the woods, and perhaps Jared would not be fast enough to evade them. He decided to shift and hide here amongst the back gardens and houses, safe from prying eyes; it was unlikely that his pursuers would go to the hassle of gaining access to the private property of various alphas to look for a lone fugitive.

He shifted behind a lean-to shed in a garden that smelled comfortingly of were-fox.

Once he had shifted and determined that no one was in the house at present, he explored the garden. He amused himself by spraying urine down the far side of the shed marking his passage through this home. There was a line of clothing hanging across the middle of the garden. It was all male clothing, shirts, dress trousers, jeans and hoodies. Jared lifted his fox nose to scent the clothes. He sneezed at the faint but present detergent, underneath that the aromas were all omega. There was no alpha scent, no beta. Why would the omega wash only his own clothes? Was it possible that the omega was alone? It would never be allowed in a wild pack, but Jared knew that rarely an omega could survive alone in an urban setting. Jared began a detailed scenting of the garden and the outside wall of the house. There was only one fox living here. He was omega. He was unclaimed and he smelled good.

As Jared was kicking dirt to cover his own waste at the bottom of the garden his ears pricked at sounds coming from the house. He sprinted to hide behind the shed, making himself as small as possible.

It wasn’t long until the back door opened and the omega came into the garden. Jared peeped around the side of the shed and could see that the mystery fox was amazingly pretty, tall, and not too young. He put his head back to sniff and was blown away by rosemary, honeysuckle, thyme and salty vanilla. It was the best thing he had ever scented. The omega turned his body towards where he was hidden and bit his lip. At the sight of those reddened lips and bright green eyes Jared’s fox brain took control... matematematematemate... 

Jared shifted as he moved from his hiding place. He couldn’t get to his mate fast enough or get him on the ground fast enough.  
Leaping the last few feet he crashed into his mate’s back and took him down to the ground.

Then the omega was saying something, his name maybe? His voice was soft and musical but Jared was incapable of processing the meaning of the words. 

Jared wanted to respond to his mate, ask him what he was saying, but it was all too much. He managed to tell his mate that he was his own pretty vixen.

Jared bit down into the flesh at the back of the omega’s neck, claiming what was his by right and destiny. He pressed his jaws around the bite tasting his omega, drinking from him, marking him as his. He felt his mate go limp under him accepting the mark and his chest swelled with the rightness of the mating. It was unbelievable, unreal, stunning, that he was here, now, claiming his true mate. He wanted to cry and whoop with joy and shout it from the mountain tops, but more than that he wanted to knot his mate, complete his claim, join them together forever.

He became aware that his mate was showing signs of distress, overwhelmed by the sudden mating. Jared began to lick and stroke his pretty mate, offering him comfort and trying to ease the shock for him. He didn’t want to hurt his cherished true mate in any way. He continued to comfort by licking the claiming mark, letting his omega know he was choosing him with all his heart, as he used two fingers to explore his mate’s entrance, moving in deeper to test his readiness and that he had enough oestrus to take Jared. He didn’t want to hurt his pretty little boy. He gave more encouragements and endearments; he would give his mate anything he wanted. His mate was perfect, slick and wet for him. 

Jared couldn’t wait any longer. He steadied himself and took the final mating step, pushing in his rock hard member. He knew this was causing pain to his bitch but he would make it good for him. His mate was so hot and slick but tight and virgin, only for him, only for his alpha, as Jared pushed all the way in. A growl rose in his throat but he didn’t want to frighten the skittish town-fox. 

Jared looked down to see the tight inflamed rim around the base of his cock. His mate could not be comfortable pressed into the ground, so Jared pulled him back by the shoulder, shifting them both so that they were resting on their sides.

Just holding his mate, buried deep inside him, was perfect. He wanted his mate to share in his pleasure. He moved a hand to wrap it around the pretty man’s cock and started to pump the soft length using all the tips Ian had practised on him when the two caged alphas had only each other in the shower rooms for relief.

Jared thought he might come without even knotting, but then the bulge began to swell and the rightness of it suffused him. Jared had to push at the rim, arching his hips forward and stroking his mates’ brow to calm him, telling him how good he was, and then he was seated inside, tied to his mate, bonded and claimed, forever. His mate came. It was all good, as it should be.

His mate fell into a light sleep, tender under Jared’s touch as his seed filled him up. Jared felt a wave of protective urges.

His brain began to catch up with what had happened and he caught his mate’s origins in his thoughts. He was an Ackles, one of the betrayers, but that didn’t matter now. He was a Padalecki now, Jared’s fox. 

Jared started to speak softly in the old language telling him about his family and how he missed them. He whispered that he knew he could convince his family to overlook his Ackles origins once they would meet him and see how perfect he was for Jared, and how Jared will teach him how to behave respectfully and properly because he knows as a town fox and an Ackles he won’t know what to do, but Jared will show him and be there to help him and he will never let anyone hurt him or let anyone except Jared touch him again and he will get him a Padalecki collar before they even reach the home-den and he will mark him out as his own omega-mate.

He could feel the bitch stirring against him, waking from his brief post-orgasm slumber. 

This time when his mate spoke Jared could concentrate, only slightly distracted by the pulsing in his buried knot. His mate asked who Jared was. Jared laughed, amused by the hesitancy in the request. They were mated for life. Jared used the formal introduction he learned when he was an envoy.

Then he was pleased to discover that his mate was not a passive omega. He knew he must be a strong person to live alone but he was happy that his mate showed his spunk. Jensen did not view the title vixen as the term of endearment. Jared knew that he must truly hate being called a vixen to risk the wrath of his new unknown alpha. Jensen insisted again on not be called a vixen. Jared admired him for this. Jensen would have to be strong if Jared was to become Pack Alpha-Fox one day with Jensen-mate by his side. Jared conceded leaving vixen off his list of names, but he was not going to let his omega rule him and he insisted on being addressed properly as Jared-mate. He had liked it when Jensen called him the familiar ‘Jared’ but he needed to make sure his mate did not develop any bad habits that in public would reflect badly on him, and on them both. 

Jared felt his knot going down. He got a small feeling of sadness that the mating was over. They would never have this special first time again. He waited a few moments to be sure the parting wouldn’t injure Jensen and then he pulled out. He was cold from being on the ground for so long and he was sure his mate was too. He stood and pulled his omega to his knees. His mate looked so pretty kneeling there. Jared hummed in approval at his manners, as Jensen waited for the alpha tap on his shoulder for permission to look and speak. When Jensen did look up, the appreciative gaze at this first look at his Alpha’s body made Jared break out his widest happiest grin in years.

There was something different about the air. Jared scented the air checking for cops or search parties but instead Jared smelled burning.  
Before he realised it his mate was gone, running into a house full of smoke. Ridiculous Omega. Why didn’t he let his alpha take care of him? Jared caught up with Jensen at the door and shoved him back out of harm’s way. He dealt with the almost fire, thinking wryly that his civilisation lessons were of some use, at least the one about ovens.

Once it was safe he brought his mate inside. His mate should not have put himself in danger. Then Jensen made Jared’s emotions change from concern and annoyance to anger as he joked about it. That was unacceptable. Jared would give Jensen time should think on his dangerous actions. He took Jensen into the next room which had a sofa with deep plush seat cushions. He put one on the carpet and placed his silly mate to kneel and think a while.

What a strange dwelling a house was. Beyond the sitting room there was a short entrance hall containing a coat rack and a small table and the hall had 3 other doors on the opposite side. Jared opened the first door. It was a large bedroom which was covered with a layer of dust and smelled of dampness and stale air. This must have belonged to Jensen’s parents. No one had slept there for a long time and he resolved to learn what had happened to the rest of his mate’s family. 

The next door opened to reveal a tiny bathroom, barely larger than the alpha-shower cubicles in the ST House. This house had obviously never been an alpha’s home, was Jensen from a beta/beta family? Jared looked at the shower unit. It was a simple older model and he figured it out easily. Stepping in to the shower tray and pulling the cute dolphin patterned curtain he took a quick shower. When he stepped out he found towels in a white distressed pine cupboard which had the wash-hand basin sunk in the top. He noticed Jensen’s razor and used it to shave off his bristle-like beard. Running his hand over his smooth cheeks and throat, he felt better. He brought the razor with him to the next room.

This small back bedroom was most certainly Jensen’s room. Jared was overwhelmed by his mate’s scent for a moment. He closed his eyes for a minute and then opened them appreciating the soft green hue of the walls and the bedcovering, a patchwork quilt of foxes and wild plants. There were several black and white photographs on the walls, some of the back garden in bloom, some of the Battle Memorial Park and some of a wooded area, which Jared suspected was the woods beyond the house. 

Jared straightened his back and began to methodically search through the drawers and cupboards. He looked under the single bed and pulled out plastic storage boxes to dump out their contents. He found a black waterproof backpack and began to fill it with some soft well worn clothes for Jensen. He added the razor to the bag, and took another look around. In the pile that had emerged from the storage boxes there was a large black t-shirt that had paint splatters on it and some bigger size track pants. Jared put them on. The pants were a bit small but the top was fine. They smelled vaguely of a younger Jensen and Jared liked it. He was not going to find shoes here but he didn’t need them. He put a pair of boots in the backpack for his mate. Then noticing some soft covered small notebooks that had been under the t-shirt he opened one and could tell it was a diary in a childish shaky hand. His mate was a diarist. Jared stuffed the books into the bag and another one of a similar type which was on the little bedside table. Then Jared heard the oven bell chime.

He walked back down the short hall dropping the bag at the front door.

As he made his way to the kitchen he walked passed his mate, deliberately ignoring him. He would give him a little longer to realise that it was Jared’s role to protect him.

Opening cupboards and the refrigerator, Jared found a plate and a can of soda. He got the pizza out of the oven and sliced it. Then he went and sat in the easy chair, balancing the food on the opposite chair-arm to where Jensen was kneeling.

He stroked the top of Jensen’s head teasing his fingers through his mate’s dark blond hair. His mind went back to earlier in the day when he stroked Alexander-alpha’s thin white blond strands. Offering a prayer for the young alpha’s wellbeing he turned his full attention back to his mate.

“Jensen-mate, you think of fire danger? You think Jared-mate protect me? I not go in danger?” Jared hoped he could convey in his hesitant English how much he wanted to protect his true mate.

He was disappointed when Jensen shook his head. 

“What you think when you wait for me?”

Jared tapped Jensen’s shoulder so he knew he could respond.

“I was thinking I can’t do this, Jared-mate” Jensen was crying.

Jared gently rubbed his hand over the mating mark at the back of Jensen’s neck, “Why you crying?”

“My old life is over,” Jensen said in a cracked voice, “I must leave my home and everything I know and I don’t know what is going to happen now.”

“Shush pretty mate. No cry. Was old life very good?”

Jensen thought for a moment. “No. It was hard and lonely, Jared-mate, But it was my life.”

“Shush, baby, New life now, we go home-den, no worry mate, we have good life. Good den, good pack and good kits.” He rubbed Jensen’s belly, but that made his mate cry even more.

“Shush mate. Here eat now.” 

Jared hand fed his mate half the pizza as he ate the other half with the soda. Jensen’s sobs quietened and then stopped as he ate. Once the pizza was gone Jared took the plate and empty can back to the kitchen and got Jensen a glass of water. He gave his mate the glass and told him to drink it all.

As Jensen drank, Jared looked around the room. He saw that two framed photos took pride of place on top of a four foot high bookcase. One was of Jensen, a little younger than now, with an older man who looked like him, his father, Jared presumed. The other photo was old and the colouring was yellowed. It was of a couple in their twenties with the most beautiful blond toddler. Jared knew that was Jensen with his parents, and he thought of how beautiful their own kits were going to be. Taking the photos from the shelf he went to the front door and added them to the backpack. Jensen’s wallet was on the slender hall table and Jared added it to his haul. 

Jared was ready to leave now, but he went back to his omega and brought him to the bathroom. Jensen knelt once more as soon as they had stopped walking. 

“Up, silly mate, not kneel now, only if I say, or if with others.”

Jensen looked confused but he stood up.

“Now off,” Jared said plucking at Jensen’s ripped clothing.

Jensen obeyed wordlessly, looking down at Jared’s bare feet and ankles which were showing under the too short pants. 

Jared wetted a cloth and briskly cleaned his mate. He would have much preferred to take his time and make it a pleasure for them both but there was no time. He bent his bitch over to clean his thighs and hole of the mixed come and slick. Once that was done he leaned down to lick the healing mating bite, and Jensen gave a soft moan at the strong sensations the gesture evoked. Pulling back before he was overwhelmed by the urge to knot, Jared pointed at the toilet and at Jensen. His mate got the message and Jared respected his privacy as Jensen sat on the bowl.

Leaving his mate for a moment Jared checked where to turn off the electricity and water. Then he returned to the bathroom, pleased to find that his mate had stayed put without being told to do so. He let Jensen wash his hands and give his face a splash of water. Then he put both hands on Jensen’s shoulders and used the full force of his alpha nature to command, “Shift.”

Jensen whimpered but he compiled. His shift was slow and clumsy, as if he was unused to changing between his forms. He would have plenty of practice at the den. The wild packs spent much of their time in their natural forms but easily shifted back and forth at will. Carrying Jensen in his human form was not practical, and Jared would not risk any harm coming to his new mate. 

Jensen was just as pretty as a fox. He looked less male and Jared guessed that this was the source of his aversion to being called vixen. He must have been mistaken for a vixen many times growing up. Jensen-fox was smaller than Jared’s fox, but he had strong limbs and a luxurious red coat. There was a white spot pattern on his face which reminded Jared of his human freckles. Jared smiled in amusement because he knew that his own small mole on his human face was a black spot on his fox muzzle. Jensen’s eyes were amber like all foxes but there were flecks of emerald green. Jared met his mate’s eyes and used the fox-mind to image to Jensen that he was going to carry him across his shoulders as they travelled. Jensen-fox lowered himself to the ground in submission at his alpha’s will and Jared was pleased. 

Once the electricity and water were turned off Jared picked up the backpack, stretching the straps to their max to accommodate his body and slipping it around his shoulders. He did a final check to ensure that the back entrance and the windows were locked, after all the house was now a Padalecki family asset. Then he draped Jensen-fox around his shoulders, sending the thought to make himself comfortable. 

Jensen moved around a little and let his chin rest on Jared’s pectoral muscle. Then Jared left the house by the front door, locking it behind him and taking the front garden in a few steps. He hurdled over the garden wall and headed off to the south and home.


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the kudos and comments.  
> They have prompted me to power up my laptop and post chapters three and four before I go to work.  
> For those rooting for Jensen, I recommend reading til the end of chapter four.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Jensen’s heat was gone. The rolling fever and liquid amber need had departed. 

It was still dark, a faint pre-dawn indigo tainting the Eastern sky over the still waters of the icky slime covered lake they had crashed beside. 

Jensen sighed in relief, being carried like a taxidermist’s fox stole was going to be so much easier, now that the fluid motion of his alpha’s shoulder muscles wasn’t going to ratchet his heat up to unbearable intensity. 

Now he might be able to concentrate on the endless babble Jared-mate had transmitted to him for the last two days and nights, as if he had been able to comprehend a single word with his brain overflowing with mate, knot, sex, need, and alpha.

Jensen thought it was only the command that he stay in fox form, even when they stopped to eat and rest, which had prevented him from losing his mind to the seethe. He knew in theory from Omega-Sex-Ed 101 that those who indulged in the uncivilised and base practice of going through a heat in animal form, as a sort of untrustworthy contraceptive, were said to endure shorter cycles and not need to be continuously knotted. The power of the heat over his mind had made him think this academic theory was crap. But as he curled around to lick his blessedly cool body-temperature hole, he wondered if maybe the theory wasn’t full of crap. Snuggling his nose into the base of his tail, he considered that even if it had nearly freaking killed his brain; he had survived his heat with only Jared-mate giving him his knot when they settled for the night. Also before this one, the shortest heat he had ever had was a few hours shy of four days. 

His heat had slammed into him in full force after sunset on the first evening of their journey, or his kidnapping, as he was wryly calling it in his head. They had not even cleared the far border of Rock Hill Woods. Jared had stopped dead, literally thrown him off his shoulders, stripped off the bag and his clothes, shifted, and responding to the pleading from Jensen-fox, knotted him there and then. Once Jared’s knot had gone through the initial breeding and the fever had calmed in them both, Jared had turned his fox-body so they were facing opposite directions. He made Jensen walk frigging backwards, unable to see where they were going. Jensen’s hormones were all over the place, and at that moment he was pissed at the indignity of mating in animal form, on a pile of pine needles, and then being forced to walk backwards to the gods knew where. But Jared was only repositioning them a few feet away, so that they were hidden between a large erratic boulder and the close trunks of three pine trees. Jensen didn’t see the point and spoke via fox mind for the first time since his freaking pathetic, “knot me, please please, need your knot, my alpha.”

“What is the point in hiding here, when you left the bag and your clothes on the path, you dumb hulk of an alpha!” Then he promptly bit his own tongue at what his brain had spouted out. 

Jared was shaking. Jensen could feel it through their joined bodies and he tightened his jaw, waiting for an infamous alpha temper outburst. Until he realised that Jared was laughing. The fucker was laughing so hard that the joy of it was travelling through their mating bond and changing Jensen’s rage into his own terrible twisted desire to laugh at the whole stupid mess that his life had turned into. When the fit of laughter had left them, Jensen’s energy levels bottomed out. His consciousness drifted, barely aware when Jared-fox finally pulled out of his aching needy hole. 

All too soon it was dawn and Jared was standing over him, giant and dressed in the ridiculous paint splattered clothes. 

“Here. Little mate. Drink long now.”

He had the plastic bowl that Jensen used for Cheerios and Frosted Flakes, and he was filling it with water from a bottle. Jensen pleaded to be allowed to shift back until they started off. Jared just stared at him impassive until Jensen lapped up the bowl. Then he refilled it and Jensen was surprised to find he was thirsty enough to finish that too.

“Good mate. Stay fox. Heat better. We go home fast now.”

While Jared settled the backpack and donned it for the day, Jensen scooted around the boulder to relieve himself, damned if he was going to be subjected to scrutiny without a bathroom break. He had barely kicked some pine needles over the area when those freakishly large hands were lifting him back on his mate’s shoulders.

“Give a guy a warning, huh? You coulda been the victim of an omega piss related accident.” Jensen thought hard at his alpha.

Jared was laughing again and the heaving of his shoulders was doing bad things to Jensen’s heat. It was going to be a very long day. 

By the time they stopped for a lunch time rest break, in an abandoned barn somewhere off the southern hiking trail, Jensen knew that his alpha had attempted to educate him on the Padalecki family tree and pack ancestry, but he hadn’t retained more than a stray iota of it. He thought that Jared’s father might be called Gerald, or maybe Oliver. He remembered thinking that Jared’s description of the pack den sounded like the drawing in his pre-school history book, of a ring of small dug out family dens, each with a reception cave and one or two more deeply dug rooms. In the infant history book there were tents in the centre, but he thought Jared had sent an impression of wood cabins. Not a lot of information after five hours of incessant chatter, but to be fair to his alpha, Jensen’s brain was omega-heat-mush at the time.

Much to Jensen’s chagrin, Jared refused to knot him in the barn. Jensen got some satisfaction from the expression on Jared’s face, which made it look like refusing to rut and knot his pheromone rich mate was killing him. Squirming for a more comfortable position around his alpha’s neck as the man ran through rows of maize, caused a new pulse of release to run down between Jensen-fox’s hind legs. Jared produced a sound somewhere between a strangled moan and a growl, and Jensen took perverse pleasure in the knowledge that he wasn’t the only one suffering.

That night Jared-fox had taken him hard and filled him completely. When the knotting faded Jared-fox had gently and carefully combed every strand of Jensen’s coat with his tongue, until they were both so aroused that they knotted again and climaxed until they both came dry. 

The sun was high in the sky when they both woke the next morning. Jensen could sense Jared’s lament that they had missed hours of travel time. He danced from foot to foot while Jensen drank. Jared shucked the backpack on so fast that he ripped a seam of it in his haste to get going. 

The day went from bad to worse as Jensen’s heat consumed his mind and dark clouds rolled in from the west. It rained hard and long that evening. Jensen’s coat was soaked through and Jared was a sodden sponge by the time the alpha found a tumbledown fishing boat shed on the shore of an algae scummed lake. There was no way to get truly warm and dry without a fire, or Jensen thought without essentials like fluffy towels and a hairdryer. Their fox forms curled together to stay warm, and even though they knotted, pulled by the frenzied need of the heat, Jensen thought he got more out of that comforting sensation of being held and touched and covered by his alpha. Maybe the heat had been at the beginning of its end last night.

Jensen uncurled his fox-form and sat on his haunches waiting for his alpha to wake. He wondered if he should wake him, remembering how annoyed Jared had been at sleeping so late the previous morning. He inched forward keeping his shoulders low and his head near the ground to nuzzle at Jared’s shoulder. The last few days had strengthened his fox-awareness and he used it now to push against Jared’s sleeping mind. Jared’s amber fox eyes opened and locked onto Jensen, his mind transmitting a wave of possessiveness which staggered Jensen so that he looked down unsure that he was worthy of such overwhelming yearning.

Jared yawned; his fox tongue curling and the cute black spot on his muzzle stretching with the skin underneath. Jensen didn’t move while Jared scented the air and then walked around him to scent his rear. Jared-fox brushed against his side and licked his face. Jensen relaxed to settle down on his side while Jared shifted and brought him the last half-bottle of water in his bowl.

Jared only spoke when he was ready to leave. “Heat end. Good pretty mate. Not long now. We go. Stop early today.”

With that he was back on his shoulder high viewing platform. Jensen decided that seeing the countryside from that height was in fact awesome, when you weren’t being driven insane by hormones. Their morning travels took them through some open pasture and short stretches of trees, all the time the gradient was slowly rising and by mid-morning they were in rolling hills with the occasional hamlet or ranch house in their sights. Jensen could feel Jared’s excitement building and he began to sense the distant flutter of other fox consciousnesses. Jared repeated his earlier tales about his family and den via the fox mind, and Jensen knew that his alpha could sense that he was grateful for the re-cap as he continued to educate the omega. 

Jared’s father’s name was Gerald. He was Pack Alpha. The Oliver that Jensen had remembered was Jared’s cousin and a member of the pack. The Pack Vixen, Jared’s mother, was Sherry. Jensen sensed some conflicted feelings in his mate as he spoke about his parents, and he wondered if he was nervous about his homecoming. There was an unmated Alpha called Mark who was second, but he was only filling the place while Jared was absent. There were other alphas and betas called James and Christopher and their mates and kits. There was a Tony mated to an Amber but they had no kits. The pack had an older female alpha of Ferris blood called Samantha, and an older sickly Alpha William who was Jared’s uncle. Jensen lost track of the names and who was related to whom until he heard about Colin and Bradley who would be older teenagers now and were both omegas. Jensen had missed how they were related to Jared but he was consoled by the knowledge that he would not be the only omega in the pack. He was going to meet real life Fox-Omegas, not internet friends, but touchable real foxes. Focusing back on Jared’s stream of consciousness type chatter, Jensen picked out that Jared had his own den, even though he had been unmated. He was Pack Second and son of the Alpha, and had taken the assigned den of the Second. As the Third, currently acting-Second, Alpha-Mark was also unmated, and Jared had prepared a nest for his mate before left home. Jared’s claim of the den had been permitted by his father as part of his quest.

Jensen interrupted his mate’s thoughts, querying the mention of a quest. Did he mean a mating quest, like out of a teenage romance novella?

Jared laughed again, the rumble passing through Jensen’s belly fur and warming him inside.

Jared spoke out loud, “Yes mate. Look for you. Leave den for you. Look and look in packs. Only want true mate. Not find. Go to towns. They took me. Held me in cell Level Two Room 5-2.”

Jensen knew that Jared was in the Feral Integration Programme, but with everything that had happened and the heat, he hadn’t considered how he had ended up there. Thinking of it now, he knew that none of the Feral Alphas were volunteers. He wondered how long Jared had been in a State Transition House.

“Three years and four days, pretty mate. No air. No sky. No grass. Three years.” Jared’s voice cracked a little on the second time he said ‘three years’.

Jensen was horrified. He couldn’t imagine not seeing beyond four walls for over three years. He had often felt choked and confined if he had to put in overtime hours on a shift at work. 

Jensen’s own situation struck him. He was being taken from his home and his old life. He had no idea about the way omegas were treated in the wild. So far Jared had insisted on obedience but he had been affectionate and considerate of Jensen’s needs. He would have liked to have some choice in who his mate would be, but realistically at 26 years of age it was a ticking time bomb until he accidently met the gaze of an alpha on the street, or his heat came early in public, or his boss bent him over his desk and claimed him as a second-omega. He couldn’t deny the chemical connection between them. Jared had the finest alpha scent that Jensen had ever experienced. Even during the nightmare that was their first mating, Jared’s scent was unsurpassed in its attractiveness to Jensen. Also when Jared praised him and called him a good mate, something warm and pleasant rose in his chest. It was the gold star he received in reading in fifth grade, and the time Alona had clapped him on the back after he smacked down mean Noel-Wolf in the playground, and his father’s beaming smile when Jensen found out he had got the job in the factory office, all rolled into one. Then there was the potent need to submit and obey his alpha. He knew all about the pull of Alpha Obey. It could happen with any alpha, but with your True Mate, it was said to be strongest.

He was jerked out of his musings when Jared stepped from the woodland trail out onto a dirt road opposite a long shed with metal sheeting walls and a corrugated roof. The shed was attached to a small single level grey stone built house. 

Jared lifted him from his perch and set him down in front of him.

“Jensen-mate. Shift.” He commanded.

It took Jensen a few seconds to shake off the fox mind, and then the shift took hold of him. He blinked and pulled himself up from the undignified sprawl that his body had landed in. How did Jared do this standing up? 

He was naked, duh, and cold. Jared’s hand pushed down on his shoulder and he knelt in front of his alpha, bowing his neck. Darn, he had gotten used to the informality of being fox, now it was back to kneeling and bowing and waiting for permission to speak.

Jared tapped his shoulder. When he looked up, the man was smiling and holding a pair of boxers and drawstring pants, ones that Jensen would normally use as sleep wear. Thinking about beggars not being able to be choosers, Jensen took his clothes and pulled them on. 

“Any hope of a hoodie Jared-mate? It is freaking freezing at this altitude.”

Jared looked at him. What was with all this gazing and not speaking? Maybe Jared didn’t understand ‘hoodie’ or ‘altitude’.

“Aren’t you cold just in that T-shirt, Alpha?”

“Cold? Yes. It is nothing. You wait. I give more clothes later. Now we go in.”

Jared was pointing at the house. 

“You walk behind me. No look at smith. Only when I say. OK mate?”

“Hum yeah, Okay Alpha. Who is Smith?”

“Quiet now. Omega no speak.”

Jared walked across the untarmacadamed mountain road with Jensen trailing behind him like a good omega. He had just knocked on the door when it was flung open by an average height dark haired man in his forties wearing a black leather apron. The man shouted in an English accent “Who has the cheek to knock on my door at lunch hour?”

Jensen could scent racoon dog but there was something wrong with the composition of the scent, something missing. The man took a step back at the sight of Jared and then a step forward. He squinted his eyes and then poked Jared in the chest with what looked like an iron poker.

“Jared Padalecki, by the gods, on my doorstep, with a cute twinky omega, you sly moose. How did you escape the nefarious clutches of our esteemed government?”

Jensen got over his ire at being called a twink, as it dawned on him that Jared probably hadn’t understood most of that greeting.

“I am home, Smith Sheppard, you give me collar for my mate.”

So that was what this was about. His collar. The dog wasn’t called Smith, he was a blacksmith. Jensen was torn between a feeling of rightness and the final completion of belonging to his alpha by being collared for all other alphas to see, and the fact that he was at a metal worker’s for his collar, which kind of ruled out buckled leather or velvet and Velcro collars.

Jared turned around and tapped his shoulder. “Jensen-mate, you talk to Mark, you give him all about you, he tells of our mating.”

Jensen looked at Mark Sheppard, “Hi, ‘m Jensen.”

Mark laughed, “I’m going need more than that son, if I am to file the mating papers.”

“Oh,” Jensen blushed, “I’m sorry.”

“And stop with the omega-apologising shit. It gets old after a while. Come into the house and sit. Tell the moose to sit and you can kneel on that nice chenille cushion I keep for these occasions. I bet you haven’t eaten properly since the moose hit the headlines as a fugitive. Take a load off while I get the paperwork and make some sandwiches. I make demon sandwiches.”

Jared looked at Jensen to translate the welcome spiel. Jensen grabbed Jared’s hand and guided him where Mark had pointed. There was a low futon and one huge armchair in the little den-like lounge room. Jared sat in the throne style chair and Jensen took his position on the promised cushion. 

“Jared-mate, Mark is going to start with the paperwork, and he is getting something for us to eat.”

Jared hummed and idly stroked Jensen hair while they waited. He seemed content to sit still for once. 

Mark shouted “Mustard or pickle?” 

“I don’t know what Jared-mate likes?”

“Not him dumbo, he’ll eat anything and everything, what do you like?”

“Oh, sorry, mustard I guess.”

There was the noise of coffee percolating. The delicious smell of roasted beans was giving Jensen an honest to the gods headache.

He took the opportunity to whisper to Jared, who had his eyes closed and was just resting his hand on the back of Jensen’s neck.  
“Alpha? What is Mark?”

“Racoon Dog.”

“No, I mean. He doesn’t scent alpha?”

“A Normal.”

“Wow.” Jensen kept his exclamation subdued. No wonder the blacksmith was living out here in the middle of nowhere. It was a rare pack that would allow a Normal to remain once they had reached maturity. They fared better in towns, where it was not such a disadvantage, being unable to shift into their natural animal form, trapped forever in man or woman form. They rarely mated. Only able to reproduce with another normal. Giving birth to a normal was one of the complications of beta pregnancies. Normals were a tiny percentage of the population, when they did occur they were typically a second or third child of beta-beta parents. In past times, before the civil war, normals were often killed as infants, once it became clear that the baby couldn’t shift to the animal form that most little ones spent their early months growing through. Even though betas and normals had been on the losing side in the war, normals had gained a measure of respect in society and legally they had the same rights as any beta.

Mark came into the room bearing a large platter of beef and cheese sandwiches. Jared was already tucking in when he returned with the coffee.

Jensen was hungry but he was almost drooling at the coffee pot. Jared noticed his mate licking his lowered lip at the beverage.

“Give Jensen-mate his drink now.”

“Sure thing, Alpha. I’ll glad I’m not going to be witnessing an omega lapping coffee from the cup of his alpha’s palm today. Here you go Jensen. Enjoy. It’s Jamaican. I buy it online.”

Jensen took a few long wonderful sips of the strong steaming brew. Then Jared was holding a sandwich to his mouth and Jensen took a large bite, chewing on the soft bread and slightly bitter cheese.

After Jensen had refused a third beef sandwich, and Mark had refilled his cup, they waited until Jared had eaten the remaining six sandwiches.

“Thank you. Mark. Good food. Good taste.”

“Thank you Alpha-Jared. So how do you want to do this? Do you want me to file papers today or give you 24 hours, so you are safely back on pack territory?”

“Tomorrow is good.” Jared decided.

“Why don’t you have a think about what you want me to do in the forge, while I sort out your mate’s details?” Mark turned his attention to Jensen. “You got any ID with you?”

“mmm, yeah. Jared-mate has my wallet in the bag.”

“Good I’ll get that from him later and take a scan of it. Now this is just for the records.” Mark picked up a form and a pen, “I will do the registering online. Full name?”

“Jensen Ross Ackles.”

“Omega number”

“29179”, the number rattled off Jensen’s tongue.

“Pack Alpha?”

“I don’t have a pack. I am, I mean I was independent. My guardian is appointed by Omega Services if I need one. I mean was appointed, sorry.”

“Stop bleeding apologising. It is fine. There is a box to tick for OS guardianship. Former residence?”

“22 Rock Heights, Rock Hill.”

“Jensen have you ever been mated before or have you ever produced kits?”

Jared growled as Jensen stuttered that he had never been, never had sex until Jared.

Mark grinned, “Well that was too much information. Finally Jared, can you sign the confirmation sheet.”

Mark passed over a second form, where he had written both their names and Jared scribbled JTP on the bottom.

“So Alpha, time to get this show on the road. You want a collar, slip ring and brand? Any piercings, they cost extra you know?”

Jensen thought he was going to faint. No-one told him that branding and piercing were part of the story.

Jared gave the smith a sly eye, “You owe tribute to Padalecki Pack. This year tribute?”

“Well yes. I have still to give this year’s tax to your greedy father. How he has the gall to insist on tribute outside pack territory is beyond my ken.”

“I take best collar and cock ring. Tags and formal-dress leash, as Tribute for pack.”

“Ah Jared. That is worth far more than my tax, No thank you. You can pay me money.”

“Best Collar. One tag and dress leash. Our tribute.”

“I might be able to deal on that. But where is your authority to offer me a deal on behalf of the foxes?”

Jared stood up straight and roared at the blacksmith, his neck ligaments protruding, “I am Jared Padalecki, Second of the Padalecki, and this is the Padalecki Second-mate. You will give tribute.”

Jensen admired the racoon dog for keeping his cool in the face of a raging alpha. If Jensen had not been kneeling already he would have cracked his knee caps in the urge to submit to his alpha.

Mark just shrugged his shoulders saying, “You drive a hard bargain, Jared. Deal.”

Jared stalked out of the room, turning back to Jensen and ordering “Come with me.”

“Guess we are going to the forge now.” Mark shrugged, “Bloody alphas, can’t wait for a man to finish his coffee.” 

Jensen had to walk fast to keep up with Jared who knew where he was going. Jensen thought that the panic rising in his chest just might cause him to stumble into his mate’s back, but he concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other, as they went through a large country style kitchen of with copper pots hanging from the ceiling, out the rear door into a courtyard that looked like something out of a French travel brochure for a Chalet holiday, and in the double wide doors of the metal walled workshop. It was a nightmare. There was an actual forge fire, with branding irons hung in alphabetical order and then more branding irons of different symbols and shapes. There was a free standing partition wall decorated with rings, piercing rings, whips, canes, chains and metal bars. On the far wall, which backed onto the road, Jensen could see open mesh cabinets with various collars and manacles of different metals and sizes. There were also several works in progress around the large space. Jensen was interested to note that the blacksmith seemed to have a regular line of business, with half finished gates and railings mixed in with a pile of actual horse-shoes and what looked like a garden sculpture of wire-work birds on a metal bird table.

There was a chair that looked like it had been rescued from a dentist’s salvage yard. Jared steered him over to it by his elbow and waited until Jensen had reluctantly seated himself.

Mark strolled over to him. “Now Jensen, I like to be civilised and professional. Can I count on you to behave yourself and not act like some freaked out 14 year old omega kit? Because if you want to disgrace your titanic alpha, I can bring out some restraints?”

Jensen shaked his head, “I’m good.”

So far from Good that Good was a tiny speck of dust on the horizon, Jensen was also sure that there was no way that he was going to cry like a baby or plead and beg like an omega stereotype, even if Jared changed his mind and wanted him decorated in piercings.

Mark, hand on hip, regarded Jared who was looking through the mesh doors of the cabinets. “See one you like Alpha?”

“This one.”

Mark unlocked the door and lifted out a half inch wide circlet of steel toned metal. “You have a good eye. It is truly the best I have in stock, titanium. So do you want it covered Padalecki style with a braided leather sheath?”

“Yes covered, Green.”

“Well that is unusual; you are a man of taste Alpha-Jared. I have strips of forest green leather, soft as buckskin that will do the job nicely. If you want a matching leash I will need time to dye and prepare it. I guarantee my collars for life but you know the leather covering will eventually need to be replaced from wear and tear.”

“Yes. Want leash, you bring to pack when done?” Jared confirmed.

“I can deliver. So Alpha-Jared do you want a clasp opening?” Looking at Jared’s scowl, Mark continued, “Humph, possessive bollocks aren’t you? I’ll warm up the soldering irons.”

The butterflies in Jensen’s stomach were running some kind of crazy relay race. Soldered closed? No removal of his collar even to bathe and if Mark was a True Smith, then the collar would shift with him, and fit perfectly on his fox form. He thought of Misha on Skype doing his nervous tic of opening and closing the Velcro strip on his inch wide black velvet collar. A lone trail of wetness slipped out of his left eye at the thought of never seeing Mish again. 

Jared spotted that his mate was crying and was beside him in two steps, using his thumb to dry the tears. “No cry. You good mate. Very good mate. Best collar for Jensen-mate.”

Jensen forced himself to focus on Jared’s words. When his alpha cupped the mating mark on the back of his neck and used his fingers and the heel of his palm to squeeze lightly, Jensen let himself be swallowed by the feeling of calm safety. 

The blacksmith approached Jared and handed him a leather chamois. “Place it on the back of his neck, please Alpha, and cover the mark.”

Jared bent Jensen’s neck forward so that his head hung but not so far that his chin would hit his chest. Then Mark was bringing the collar under Jensen’s chin and upwards to lightly press below his Adam’s apple. Jensen saw that the metal circlet had been enveloped in a layer of plaited dark green leather. He could feel damp heat coming from the collar, not enough to burn him but it was unpleasant and he jerked his neck back into Jared’s hand.

Mark spoke from behind him, “It is alright, Jensen. I have heated the collar to manipulate it into position, and the leather is damp to make it supple. As it dries it will mould to the collar and you perfectly. Now, your alpha is going to stay beside me for the next part, and he can move his hand up to the top of the claim mark.”

Jared’s hand crept up to Jensen’s hair line. Then Mark pressed the sides of the collar together and down on the back of it, until the exposed metal ends met at the lower edge of the mating bite which was hidden under the soft piece of leather. He left one hand holding the collar in place, as he reached to the trolley beside him for the first soldering iron. 

It took three hot irons and some weird chanting in the old language to seal the collar closed. Then Mark pulled the chamois out from under the collar and clapped a stunned into stillness Jensen on the shoulder. “You did well, omega. I am impressed at your stoicism. I’m not easily impressed. Ask anyone. “

Jared leaned around the chair and caught Jensen in a hard kiss, full of claim and insistence to be let in. Jensen complied and opened his lips. The angle was awkward but Jared’s tongue snaked under his mate’s top lip and then he nipped at Jensen’s lower lip and finished by moving his head to Jensen’s throat and kissing the front of the collar. And damn but that was freaking hot. Jensen wondered if he was all kinds of kinky messed up to get off on his new collar being kissed by his mate, but it was so reverent and sensual and he could smell Jared’s hair in front of his nose. Desire coiled through his veins. He didn’t care about where he was. He just wanted to feel his mate, hold him so close that Jared was settled inside him and wrapped around him. His dick and his hole were both twitching at the fantasy and the soft kisses which were moving up his Adam’s apple and his throat. 

The newly mated Alpha and Omega were pulled back to reality by Mark clanging and banging at the forge. 

Mark grinned at them, “Glad to see that my collar-work is appreciated and all, but you guys need to get a room, or a den. I don’t dig PDAs in my workplace, comprende?”

Jensen smiled, knowing Jared probably didn’t totally comprende, but got the racoon dog’s drift as he straighten his stance and stood next to the chair, leaving a hand resting on Jensen’s shoulder. Jensen found himself covering that hand with his own palm, and Jared looked down at him pleased.

Mark cleared his throat, “Far be it from me to be accused of not fulfilling my side of a deal. I promised you a tag. I have a full range here.”

The blacksmith produced a long black lacquered box, about the length of a violin case. He opened it in front of Jared. Jensen lifted his upper back from the chair to peer around into the case.

There were metal discs of various sizes, divided into 5 colored sections. In the inside top cover pinned into the silk lining were collar clips, round keyring type attachments and tiny nails.

Mark could see the expression of curiosity on Jensen’s face, and he began to describe the contents. “I sell four types of tag, all of which can be attached to the collar temporarily or permanently. I can engrave each as the alpha wishes. There are the large diameter heavily weighted ones, which are designed to remind the omega constantly of the tag’s presence. Then the medium high shine variety which stand out at a distance, and are often preferred by alphas who spend a lot of time with their omega in public. The third type is this one, relatively light-weight with a dimpled finish and a three quarter inch diameter. Finally the smallest discs are intended to be fixed onto the collar like a badge or button. You know what the five colors mean?”

Jensen shook his head, “I mean I had heard of tags, but they aren’t really an urban thing. The only omega I ever saw with one was on the street one day wearing the smallest type in blue.”

Mark looked at Jared to see if he was happy to let him continue speaking to Jensen. Jared had taken the box with his left hand and was feeling and testing the weight of tags with his right hand. Mark figured that Jared didn’t mind this conversation so he continued, “Red means No Touch. No person other than the Alpha-mate can touch the omega and the omega must seek permission to touch another. Blue is No Speak. This goes beyond the shoulder tap to break silence. Every utterance by the omega must be expressly permitted by the alpha, there is no speaking outside the alpha’s presence, and no one can speak to the omega without the alpha’s say. Green is go, as they say. It means that the omega can be shared. It is the opposite of no touch. If another alpha feels horny, a green tagged omega will service them. They are rarely used outside of brothels. Yellow is the badge of a secondary omega, worn when the primary omega in the mating is not present, so the incorrect status is not presumed. Orange is the tag of an omega in a 3-way mating, similar to yellow; it is worn when the beta-mate is not present.”

Jensen figured he was getting a red or a blue tag. It would be a killer blow if Jared selected any of the others. He didn’t like the sound of any of the tags. The blue one would prevent him interacting with Jared’s family, and the red one could leave him isolated and starving for affection in a pack full of foxes. Mark had mentioned something about tags being worn in public. Perhaps Jared would just like to ensure he wasn’t touched or spoken to inappropriately in a public situation.

“Red.” Jared held up one of the dimpled light weight tags and a clip on attachment. “I take now for go home. But you bring one with leash. A JTP one with leash?”

“Yeah sure, alpha, you take that one in lieu of an engraved one.”

Jared turned to Jensen with the tag in his fist. Jensen instinctively flattened himself back into the chair. As Jared inserted one end of the clipping mechanism into the hole at the top of the disc, he began to recite to Jensen. “With this tag comes my rule. No touch. My touch is yours. Your touch is mine. No others. No touch, my omega.”

Jensen swallowed his nerves and closed his eyes. There was the unfamiliar feeling of the collar being pulled forward, pressing into the claiming bite. In response to Jared’s fingers fitting the clip around the collar, Jensen’s nails cut shaped half moons into his fist closed hands. 

Then Jared’s fingers were stroking his knuckles. “Good mate. Only my touch pretty one. Big family, no bad touch for mate. You only touch me, mine, my Jensen.”

Jensen opened his eyes. He was confused by the kindness he saw in Jared’s face. The alpha had just forbidden him from receiving one of the benefits of pack life, the caste affectionate touches of family, something he had grieved for since his father’s death. The hope of this touch had been one of the good things he was using to comfort himself as he struggled to cope with the change. It was obvious that this was going to be a constant rule, not something for public consumption. Jensen heart sank and he found himself mouthing ‘no’.

“Shush, my pretty mate. No cry now. Good mate. We have good life, you will see. Come home now.”

Jared pulled his mate up from the chair and into a huge hug, as if he could make up for the loss of other touches by covering all of Jensen. Jensen sneaked his hand up to rest it over his mate’s heart, letting the fluttering beat link in to their mating bond and taking comfort from the reassurance of Jared’s faith in their future.

After a while Jared pulled out of the embrace and kissing Jensen’s forehead he brought his arm down to curve around the omega’s waist. The forge was empty and they walked back into the smith’s home. The man was in the kitchen pouring out three mugs of fresh coffee. He handed the coffee over wordlessly and left to fetch the backpack for the fox pair. When he handed the bag to Jared, the alpha pulled out Jensen’s old ‘life’s a bitch and then you die’ t-shirt and his fleece lined khaki hoodie. Jensen smiled when Jared handed them over.

While Jensen dressed, Mark produced a dark denim jacket and handed it to Jared, who raised an eyebrow.

“Consider it a mating gift, Alpha-Jared. It was left behind here by another moose-sized client. It should fit you, and you should arrive home looking better than a shivering reject from a house-painter’s crew.” Mark smirked.

The jacket smelled faintly of wolf but not offensively so. Mark must have had it for a long time.

Jared pulled on the jacket which fitted well and was long enough to end below his hips. Then he gathered up the backpack.

“Blacksmith Sheppard. Thank you for collar tribute. I will see you at home den.”

“See you in a week or so, Alpha. A safe end to your journey.” He winked at Jensen, “ Good luck, Jensen.”


	4. Chapter four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is long but I just couldn't end it until I got to the final scene.

Once they left the forge, Jared stuck to the mountain road. It twisted and turned, narrowing as the altitude increased. They didn’t speak, staying quiet even in fox mind. Jensen could sense other foxes more clearly now, but he was distracted by the sensation of his collar against his skin and the light tipping of the tag on his collar bone. After a time the road ended and they were on a worn trail which snaked in and out of pine woods and hilly scrub. Jensen’s legs grew tired and the weight of his boots dragged on his feet. He wasn’t used to hill walking and he had been carried like precious cargo for the last few days.

“Jared-mate. Can we stop and rest?”

Jared turned and paused. He pointed to a wooded low hill slightly below them. The hill sloped down in a natural bowl like valley. There were distant figures moving across open grass areas and a bowl shaped lake at the valley base glistened in the afternoon sun. “Home”.

“OK, Jared-mate, I guess I won’t collapse if we keep going.”

As they got closer to the valley scattered thoughts of other foxes swarmed Jensen’s brain. In desperation at the onslaught, he called for his alpha trying to pick his consciousness out of the mire. Jared’s presence filled his mind, blanketing out the other foxes. His mate got him to focus on him and on Jensen’s own thoughts. Jensen zero-ed in on their linked minds. It was like the others faded. He could still sense them but the mating bond clicked in place with the pack bond, and it was easier to think his own thoughts again. Jensen wondered if all alphas had the power to control the flow of a pack-mind like that.

The next twist in their path brought them into dense woodland. Jared put his arm back, palm up, blocking Jensen, who looked to see a large black fox baring his teeth at them from further down the trail to the den.

A challenge echoed through the pack-mind. “Who dares cross the Padalecki border?”

Jared stepped out from the trees and stood proud before the other alpha. “Jared of the pack.”

The black wolf shifted and an older blond man sprinted up to crush Jared in a tight hug. Jared stood like a statue and finally coughed when the other man didn’t seem to be letting go.

Jensen sensed Jared asking the other fox to let him go, that he was really back, and that he had brought his True Mate. 

The other fox pulled back, his blond hair mussed from the hug, beaming at Jared, who returned a half-smile and beckoned Jensen to join them.

“Mark, this is Jensen, my mate. Jensen-mate, this is Mark Star, second of the Padalecki Pack.”

Mark spoke better English than Jared. “Pleasing to meet you Jensen. Found yourself an omega, Jared? Your mother will have words about that. Jensen, I was pack second while Jared went on his long quest, guess I’m third once more. I am very happy Jared is home. Will be big party.”

“No Mark. No big party. I just be home with mate. Is enough.”

“Jared what is with the English-speak? Three years is not long to forget the old language.”

“Jensen-mate is not from pack.”

“I see.” Mark looked at Jensen thoughtfully and Jensen felt like a frog on a dissecting bench. “Can we talk fox mind as we walk?”

Jared nodded.

Mark led the way, and Jared followed, gripping Jensen’s hand tightly as if Jared was the one who needed comfort and support. On their walk to the den, Jensen sensed Jared’s grief that his uncle William had died only months after he left, then his joy at the news for three new kits for Tony and Amber, and Oliver had mated Katie and they had twin kits. There was more sadness that the alpha of the Fell Pack had passed the previous winter. Jared asked if Ian Fell had turned up at the den. Mark was surprised at the enquiry and answered that they hadn’t seen Ian in over two years, that it was said that he had copied Jared and gone on a mating quest.

Jensen felt Mark questioning Jared about where he had been for so long, with no messages home from him or about his quest. Jared blocked his question saving the answer for when they reached the den. 

Almost at the lake Jensen could see individual den entrance holes on the hill behind, as well as foxes resting in the afternoon sun in clearings and on a sunny outcrop. Also visible were the roofs of a couple of cabins. The woods finished abruptly. Jensen could see they had been cleared in a straight line, leaving a sloping field with a few goats. The field was bordered by a fast moving stream which spilled as a slender waterfall into the circular lake. 

As they emerged from the tree line, Mark told them that there was another new pack member. Jared wondered was it someone from the Beaver or Fell packs. Mark revealed he had mated the previous year. It had been twenty years since his Padalecki beta-mate Eliza, had died in childbirth. He had found a mate using the fox mating service. Mark was over forty and there was no sign of Jared’s return, so Gerald had permitted the use of the fox mating service for his Second. They had found him a mate in the progressive English Roche pack. Mark thought that Sebastian, his omega, was very beautiful but didn’t always understand his snarky sense of humour, and affectionately admitted to Jared that he thought he was being mocked more than he realised. Jared warmly congratulated him. Jensen was delighted to hear of another omega-mate in the pack. As the two alphas talked of the other family members, Jensen hoped that he could be friends with Sebastian, if both their alphas allowed.

Jared kept Jensen hand in his. They could feel the pack-mind reverberating with joy and disbelief, as the other foxes recognised Jared’s presence.

Jared sent the message to his mate that when his parents came to meet them at the stone Pack Greeting marker, Jensen must stay slightly behind him as he kneeled, and must keep his eyes lowered and not move until Jared tapped him.

All of a sudden there were foxes and kits everywhere, a few in human forms but most as foxes, all running across the stream. There were shouts of “Jared”, “Welcome Home”, “He is not alone”, and “He’s back”. The assembled pack stayed on the other side of the meeting point but one young fox with a deep red coat slammed right into Jared’s leg.

“Hey Felix” Jared smiled down at the fox. “Still a kit, I see. Go now to Grandmother Samantha.”

The young fox nuzzled against Jared’s shin and gave Jensen a look over as he turned to run over to his Grandmother and father. Felix still had the poor control of his thoughts of a juvenile fox and transmitted for everyone “That is Jared’s mate, I could scent it. Jared won his quest, like the fox-heroes.” There was a gentle chuckle throughout the group which stopped when two older foxes came through the centre, the other foxes parting for them. 

At the meeting point they shifted together. The alpha was tall, almost as big as Jared. His hair was short and grey. His eyes were hazel and shaped like Jared’s eyes but this fox’s expression was grave and serious. The vixen was tall for a female and had long auburn hair flecked with grey. She had rounded shoulders and some fine wrinkles around her green eyes. She smiled at Jared. 

The Pack Alpha stood at on the den side of the stone marker. Jared took a step to stand directly opposite him. Jensen knelt to Jared’s right, across from the Pack Vixen, and a little behind his mate.

“I, Gerald Padalecki, Pack Alpha of the Padalecki, son of the great Devon Padalecki, do formally welcome my only son Alpha Jared. It has been a long time. Son, do you request a return to your pack?”

“I, Jared Padalecki, prospective Second of the Padalecki, son of Gerald, Dog-Fox Alpha of the Mid-Eastern Seaboard State Transition House," Jared was interrupted by some cries of “Gods no” at this succinct expression of the reason he had been out of touch. He continued, “Former envoy of the Wild Were Council, do so wish to return to my pack.”

Gerald crossed over to pull his son into a Jared-style hug. He clapped Jared on the back, “Welcome home, son. It is very good to see you home.”

Sherry came over and gave Jared a kiss on the cheek. “Welcome back, Jared. Who is this?”

“Alpha Gerald, this is my true mate, Jensen of the Ackles family.”

As Gerald opened his mouth to give the formal response, Sherry stepped between her son and her mate and landed a stinging slap across Jared’s cheek.

Jensen was so shocked by the sound of Sherry’s hand cracking against his mate’s cheek; he froze still, almost afraid to breathe. He could feel Jared’s shared state of shock through their bond.

Sherry was obviously very unhappy. She berated Jared in the old language until Gerald pulled her back by her shoulder to stand next to him.

“Sherry,” the Pack Alpha turned to his beta-mate, “It is not possible to interfere with a True Mating.” He turned to face his son once more, “Please, son, May I greet your mate.”

“Yes, Father, you may touch.” Jared replied, as he tapped Jensen. Jensen looked at Jared, with his reddened cheek and eyes brimming with emotion. Jared privately communicated with him to show his Pack Alpha that he knew his status.

Jensen shuffled slightly on his knees to face the Pack Alpha and then bent his head to the ground. Gerald rested his hand over the claiming mark, and said “Welcome Jensen, new second-mate of the Padalecki.”

As Gerald withdrew his hand, Jared prompted his mate to repeat this with Sherry. Jensen turned towards the Pack Vixen, but instead of approaching him, she turned her back and pointedly ignored him. He was rejected by the Vixen and it hurt. He could feel it in the pit of his stomach, and he couldn’t understand what he could have done to be rejected like that. Did Jared’s mother think that he had kept her son away from the pack? 

Gerald spoke at a volume to be heard above murmuring from the rest of the pack, “We all rejoice at the return of Alpha-Jared, and his mating to Jensen. I know you all want to greet them. Can some foxes please help Jared re-fit and clean his den?”

The Pack Alpha and Vixen retreated back to the den. Jared had only just pulled Jensen to his feet when Jared was tackled by two young males, one blond, one dark haired, who whooped with joy and subjected him to some sort of torture by tickling. 

“Stop Oliver, Stop James, you’ll make me long for my windowless cell.” Jared laughed. The two men helped Jared to stand. As soon as he was upright again they were surrounded by men, women and kits of all ages. All of them wanting to hug Jared, or clap him on the back. 

Jensen could see them eyeing his red tag, and they all kept a respectfully few inches of personal space away from him. 

Jensen heard someone clear their throat behind him. He looked to see a male beta with short dark hair and brown eyes. He had a thin face and was a couple of inches shorter than Jared. “Second-mate, I am beta-Stephen, son of Alpha-Samantha. This is my first born, Bradley, omega of the pack. He wanted to meet you.” 

Jensen looked behind Stephen to see an older teenager, staring at him shyly. He was an attractive boy. He had shaggy blond hair and blue eyes. His cheekbones were high and jaw strong. If he had been an alpha he would have left a string of broken hearts. He was dressed in a loose white shift and undyed canvas trousers. Jensen wasn’t used to being the one who spoke first, but he guessed that his status as Second-mate was higher than unmated Bradley. “Hi Bradley. I’m Jensen. I am very happy to meet you.”

The boy grinned at him. “Colin and I are really happy that you are here. We want more omegas here. It will be great to have you in the omega den. It gets boring. Sebastian and the doctor’s crazy mate only come sometimes.”

A slender dark haired boy with owl-like eyes popped his head around from behind Bradley’s back. “Is Bradley inviting you to an Omega party at the Omega den? You know Brad that is my home; you can’t just start planning events without me. I’m Colin, poor omega orphan of the pack.” Colin grinned and pulled at fake sad face as he extended a hand to Jensen.

Bradley smacked Colin’s hand down, “Colin, dude, did you not see the red tag? You oaf. I hope your alpha makes you wear all five colours.”

“You wish. You just have a twitchy hole; none of your suitors have bitten.”

“Wait until next year when you are 18 and you’ll be sitting in the omega den pleading with me to find you a single suitor from the other packs to seek your smelly hole.”

Jensen was rather shocked by the filthy insults the boys were trading, but they were grinning like mad things. 

Colin winked at Jensen. “I’m sorry, Jensen. I didn’t see the tag. Jared must be very happy with you.”

Colin looked up over Jensen’s head. “Hi cousin-Jared. I don’t know how much you heard, but don’t stand there crossing your arms at me. I didn’t touch, honest. Don’t be angry Jared. I missed you.”

“Silly omega Colin. You silly boy,” Jared messed his hand affectionately through Colin’s black mop of hair. “Come Jensen, we go our den.”

The crossed the stream above the lake and came to a wide level clearing with a long picnic style table in front of a large cabin at a right angle. Jared angled them up a steep path overhung by trees, heading back towards the stream. There was an area of packed dirt in front of a cave like entrance. Jared bent over to move into the den, pulling Jensen in by the hand. Once inside they could stand up, although Jared had to hunch his shoulders. To the left there was an opening to a vestibule which would easily seat four or five foxes as a greeting hall. The floor level dropped as they moved deeper into the hill. The tunnel ended in two connected rooms. One was the size of Jensen’s parents’ old bedroom and the other only larger than a broom closet. The den was well constructed but neglected. There were signs of mice nesting in the abandoned blankets of the sleeping area, and cobwebs curtained the walls and laced across the opening to the smallest room. Jared guided Jensen back to the first room by the entrance. Jared told him to stay and take some rest while he sorted out the business of his return.

Jensen tried to make himself comfortable. But with no furnishings the best he could do was sit with his back against the wall and his knees pulled up. He knew he was missing out on the celebration of Jared’s homecoming, but he was glad of a chance to gather his thoughts. He was used to living alone and being amongst so many foxes was overwhelming. He was still reeling after the cold reception from Jared’s mother and wanted very much to ask Jared his opinion of what had happened. He had felt Jared’s own pain at his mother’s actions. Focusing on the positive, he smiled at Colin and Bradley’s unselfconscious actions. It had just been Bradley’s dad and the three omegas involved but perhaps it was a sign that pack life for omegas was less formalised than life under the civilised conventional omega laws.

It was cold in the den and Jensen was shivering by the time Jared returned with a hunk of bread spread with soft goat’s cheese. He slid down the wall to rest next to his mate. They sat together saying nothing. Jared pressed his shoulder into Jensen’s as he broke off small pieces of bread, making sure each had a little of the cheese. Jensen opened his mouth to receive the food. The bread was amazing and the bitter salty cheese like nothing he had ever tried before. Jared waited until he was sure each piece was eaten before feeding Jensen the next piece. 

“It is cold here, Jensen-mate. We not sleep here this night. Come now, there is soup at table.”

Jensen’s mouth was dry from the bread and some warm liquid goodness sounded perfect. 

“We come here next night. I make good nest for mate.” Jared stood and beckoned. Jensen rose and followed him. 

It was dusk outside. The central pack area had only a few stragglers milling around. There were no young kits, and the Pack Alpha and Vixen were absent. Jared pointed to some of the visible den entrances, some of them had fire pits glowing and Jensen could see the families at home for the evening. 

Jared left Jensen leaning against the long table while he got a bowl of soup from the cabin. When he returned Jared sat sideways on the bench and Jensen knelt beside him. Jared took his time feeding Jensen once more. It made Jensen feel strangely cherished, that Jared didn’t rush him in any way. Jared blew on each spoon of the rich vegetable broth before tipping if carefully into his mate’s mouth. A little soup trickled down Jensen’s chin from the final ladle, and Jared smoothed it away with his thumb, and then sucked off the trace of soup. Jensen’s eyes followed Jared’s digit and his own tongue ran across his lower lip at the sight of his alpha.

Jared set the bowl on the table and pulled Jensen up to straddle his lap. Jensen curled an arm around Jared’s shoulder and looked at him to see if this familiarity was permitted in public. Jared put his hand on Jensen’s hip to steady him, and pulled him in for a kiss on the corner of his lips.

The two foxes who had tackled Jared earlier came and sat on the opposite side of the table. The blond was a beta. His hair was platinum and he had sharp features. He prompted Jared “Going to do introductions?”

“Jensen, this is Beta-James Marsters, Fourth of the Pack, mate of Allyson, father of Jack and Ashley, any more kits?”

James laughed. “No more Kits. Allyson is a lucky beta with two healthy kits.” James face darkened, “We lost one during the summer, Jared. A babe. No more kits.”

Jared stretched a hand over the table taking James’ own and squeezed. 

When the moment passed, Jared smiled over at the fox seated further down the table. There was a faint family resemblance with Jared, but the other alpha had a square face and blue eyes. He kept his hair cropped short and had a couple of days growth of stubble. “This sly fox is Oliver Padalecki. He is my son of my uncle and almost litter mate.”

“Nice to meet you Jensen. Jared always wanted a True Mating. I am happy you are here.”

Stephen came and joined them carrying a tray with a jug and some wooden cups. “I brought some homebrew to toast the mating.”

Oliver took the tray and poured five cups. He handed them around. He placed another in front of Jared and raised an eyebrow. Jared took the cup and handed it to Jensen.

James raised his cup, “To Jared and Jensen, may their life together be long and happy, blessed with kits and good friends.”

Everyone raised their cups and took a drink. The brew was like dark ale and Jensen thought he could get used to it.

Stephen glanced at Jensen, “It’s good, yeah? My mother makes it. I must say you have made a good first impression on the pack, Jensen. And a huge one on my sons. Felix told all the other kits that he was the first one to scent you, and Bradley hasn’t shut up about you. My mother sent him to the omega den for the night to get some peace.”

Jensen looked at Jared. “Is OK. Talk free, good mate.” Jared rubbed a circle on Jensen’s back in praise at his manners.

Jensen asked Stephen. “I hope you don’t mind my question Beta-Stephen. How is your English so fluent?”

“I don’t mind, Jensen. It is a well known tale. When I was 17 I fell in love with Angela Accola. Her mother was a Padalecki and they visited that summer. She was a beauty. A petite blonde beta. So sweet and interested in me. We were not mature until the next year, but we sneaked away breaking into the omega den, and mated many times over those stolen weeks. When they returned to their village I was lost without her. Only weeks later an envoy arrived with the demand that I go to my pregnant girlfriend. There was so much trouble. Hank, my omega-mother, had passed, but my beta-father Ryan was indignant. My alpha mother Samantha knelt before Alpha Gerald, to plead with him not to permanently banish me and he listened to her. I left with nothing. No mating gifts to offer Angela. When I got to the village, she was so sick. It was terrifying, like the worst beta pregnancy horror stories. The Accola live semi-wild. They are farmers and craftspeople, not truly urban, but they packed Angela and me off to some cousins who lived in a city, so that Angie could get medical care. I was 17 and had never left the den. She spent the last four months in hospital and still didn’t survive. I brought Bradley back to the village. I contributed to the family by learning to farm goats with Alpha Accola. When Bradley was two years old, a new Accola family moved back to the village from a town where they were getting harassed due to their wild ancestry. The eldest daughter was Anna. She was another petite blonde beta. Guess I have a type, huh? We took things slowly. I think she was more smitten with Bradley than me. Finally we went to her father and to the Pack Alpha and got their approval to mate. Anna missed town life and we moved to a small town not far from the village. I got a job in a store selling farm produce. Anna worked at the local pre-school as an assistant in the mornings. We were mated three years when Anna found she was pregnant. It was nothing like Angie’s terrible confinement. Anna was full of energy. The doctors were very happy with her, and she was carrying triplets, so rare for a beta. The arrival of Amber and Tony’s three little miracles during the past summer was quite a sensation, Jared. You missed all the fun, and Sebastian is carrying three now, we will have to start a crèche at this rate.” 

Stephen paused to take a swig of his homebrew, “Where was I? Oh, Anna and I were overjoyed and a bit overwhelmed that she was bearing three kits. I got in touch with the Wild Were Council and they included my news with the next message delivery to Padalecki Lake. I was so happy when I got a reply from my mother, saying she would like to meet my mate and children. Life couldn’t be better. Bradley was six and full of excitement at meeting his siblings. At the maternity hospital everything was great, and then they ushered me and Bradley out of the delivery room and there were alarms and pages for crash teams. After what seemed like hours, a nurse placed a single dark haired baby boy in my arms. Bradley sat with him while I said goodbye to my second love and our two little girls.”

Jensen was crying silent tears, and so was everyone else. Their cups had been refilled during the story and Jensen took a sip. Jared was rolling his knuckles on Jensen’s spine, grounding him during the awful tale. Stephen had paused staring into space. No-one broke the silence.

Stephen saluted the air with his cup, “To Angie, Anna and the kits.”

The others raised their cups.

“So, Jensen, where was I? I brought my baby son home. I had no pack to help me. The poor child didn’t even have a name. Anna had taken Bradley to help her choose some toys for the newborns, and Bradley had picked three soft black and white felt kittens. Anna and I had laughed that the kits hadn’t a hope of getting hold of them, because Brad had played mommy with them, naming them Puss-Kit, Cattie-Kit and Felix-Kit, as Anna mouthed ‘omega’ behind Bradley’s back. Anyhow, Bradley gave Felix-kit to the baby because he said the baby was lonely and the name stuck. I lost my job because I couldn’t arrange childcare. The day Felix shifted back to fox; I packed up our important stuff, put Felix in my pocket, and came home to my mother. I don’t know how nervous you were at the Pack Greeting mark today, Jared and Jensen, but I was desperate. I knew I reeked of desperation. I bowed before Alpha-Gerald and begged him to let me come home, or at least take my sons into the pack. When he gave his assent for us to join the pack, my life started again. Rosie was still breast feeding Emma and Lilly and she took Felix for me. Bradley spent every waking minute hero worshipping Jared here, constantly getting into trouble with Mark, who was training you that summer remember? Mark finally paired Colin up with Bradley and told them to teach each other English and the Old Language. So we have to thank Mark for their inseparable bond. I worry sometimes what will happen if either of them are claimed by an alpha from another pack. But that is a conversation for another day.”

Jensen wished he could reach across and give Stephen a hug. Oliver came across and squeezed the beta’s shoulder. “It’s getting dark. Time for foxy bedtime. Where are you sleeping, Jared?”

“Cabin. Too cold in den.”

“I’ll get Katie to bring you some blankets.”

They stood up. Jared gathered the cups and jug. He passed the tray to Jensen to carry and they headed to the cabin for the night.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

There was a light dusting of snow on the frozen ground outside their den. Jensen flicked the last of the dust and leaves out of the den with his broom. He had cleared away breakfast and given the den the once over. It was amazing how routine everything had become over the last six weeks. 

They had woken before dawn, Jared’s tail brushing against Jensen to wake him up. They slept in fox form most nights using the combination of their fur coats, nest of blankets and body heat to stay cosy. Jensen had rolled out from under the covers and shifted. He dressed quickly and grabbed the large wooden basin. On his way to the lake, he fed the fire pit at the den entrance. In the pre-dawn twilight he easily made his way to the babbling waterfall to gather pure crystal water from the stream where it entered the lake. Once he returned he set the water to heat over the embers. He ensured it wasn’t too hot and brought it into the nest, where Jensen used it to wash and shave himself and then his mate, who was slow to wake and lay still for Jensen as he swiped the razor down his cheeks. Jared caught his hand as he finished and kissed the inside of his wrist.

“Hungry yet, Jensen?” Jared asked. His English had improved and Jensen was learning the old language, facilitating more meaningful communication between the mates.

Jensen laughed. “Does that mean that your famous appetite has woken for the day?”

Jared grinned at him, “Go pretty Omega and bring me a whole roast goat.”

“Ha ha ha!” Jensen fake-laughed “I don’t think Stephen would let any fox harm one of his precious goats. I might manage to rustle up some fresh bread, fruit and milk.”

Jensen made his way to the cabin where other early risers were eating or settling trays of breakfast to bring back to their dens. The other foxes moved out of the way for Jensen to choose his bread and fruit. Jensen still was unused to his privileged status as Jared-mate. Jared was Second, as so long as Jensen was getting something or doing something for his alpha, only Sherry would take precedence. 

When Jensen returned with warm poppy seed buns and sliced apple, Jared was sitting outside by the fire. He was naked, ready to shift to fox as soon as he had eaten. Jensen found looking at his mate’s body and the way his skin was gaining a healthier colour, even from the winter sunlight, very distracting and the milk sloshed over the top of the mugs. Jared beamed at him, knowing by the sweet scent he was affecting his omega. Jensen knelt beside him and Jared fed them both. Jensen sometimes wished that Jared would let him feed himself, but his alpha seemed to get a gentle caring pleasure from the action and at least he was allowed to drink from his own cup. He wondered if Sebastian got dehydrated from drinking from Mark’s palm. Maybe Mark allowed Sebastian to drink in the den. Jensen wondered if he should ask Sebastian if he was getting enough fluids being pregnant, but he wasn’t sure if would be a breach of etiquette.

After Jared left with Oliver to patrol the borders in fox form, Jensen tidied the den. Christopher’s beta Rosie had come up a few times during his first week to show him how to keep a den in good order. The whole pack had contributed to making the den a home, helping to clean it out and giving them items from their own dens. Colin and Bradley had given them their nesting blankets. The young omegas had been accumulating items they would need for their mated dens; since they found out they were omegas. Jensen had been astonished by this, as in the civilised world the omega left everything behind, some alphas even insisting that the omega stayed naked until collared. The so-called wild ways were not as brutal for a newly mated omega, and Jensen understood why Jared had carried the backpack of his diaries, photos and favourite old clothes all the way from Rock Hill.

Shaking the broom out in the bushes to the right of the fire pit, Jensen got a sudden craving for his dust-buster, his central heating, and his microwave and coffee percolator, and his laptop. It wasn’t that wild pack life was harder or poorer but it was very different to the way Jensen had lived his first 26 years. 

Jensen had a feeling that Jared understood that culture shock took some adjusting to come to terms with. He wished his alpha was there now so he could talk with him about it. Their mating bond had strengthened in the last six weeks and Jensen felt affection and respect for his mate, but he wanted to know him more, know all of him. Jared was so open and bubbly with everyone. He was warm and caring with Jensen, treating him like he was something precious and teaching him how to behave as an omega-mate. Yet Jensen found that he was resentful of the relationship his alpha had with Oliver. Jared did morning patrol with Oliver. Mark and Tony took afternoon patrol. Jared was at such ease with Oliver. Jensen knew they grew up together and were only weeks apart in age. They had a childhood friendship which 3 years apart seemed to do nothing to dim. Jensen wondered if Jared talked to Oliver about things that he would not discuss with him.

Jensen also had jealous feelings about Ian. He knew that it was ridiculous. Ian wasn’t even there. Jared had talked about his time in the Feral Integration Programme, to his father and to Oliver, with Jensen listening intensely. It sounded like a hell on earth. Jensen would press himself against his alpha, trying to soothe and reassure that it was all in the past. Ian had kept Jared going. He had offered his energy and support to Jared through the pack bond that Jared had created in the ST House. Gerald was fascinated that Jared had managed to create his own proto-pack. Jared supposed that Ian had been his unofficial pack second and the guard Carlton was his third with other foxes, who had been imprisoned with them at times, being received into the proto-pack as they accepted Jared as their alpha. Jared was worried that Ian had not escaped the authorities. Back in their den he confided to Jensen that he could still sense Ian’s mind but he was in a distant place and he was troubled.

On the third evening after Jared’s homecoming, Christopher, who had been making a final check of the borders, came up to the cabin where everyone had gathered due to the rain. There was an envoy at the Pack Greeting place. Gerald went to find out what he wanted and returned with a man dressed in a long black sou’wester. Gerald introduced him as Andrew Lincoln of the Beaver Pack. After the wiry dark haired man had shucked his coat, Sherry rose and greeted him and asked him what news he had for the pack.

“I confess, dear lady that I am not on official pack business. I had completed my task at the Sheppard forge, where I heard the news of your son’s return. I came to see for myself if it was true.”

Jared rose and shook Andrew’s hand. “Good to see you Beta-Andrew, and to see you are still an envoy. Tell me have you heard any news of Ian Fell?”

“Did Ian escape with you, Jared?”

“I hope so.” Jared bit his lips. “The last I saw he and The David Wolf were making their getaway. He was supposed to make his way here.”

“We heard of your escape on the radio in our Alpha’s cabin. We cheered out loud that a few wild alphas had finally got away from the authorities.” Andrew beamed and pumped his fist at the memory. “The news reported that one of the alphas was shot.”

Jared froze. “Ian is still alive,” he insisted.

“I hope so Alpha-Jared.” Andrew said.

News spread of their return, and a fortnight later a snooty envoy in an urban-style suit arrived from the Fell pack. He had no news of Ian but interrogated Jared about Ian as if he was guilty of some crime against the Fell pack. Finally Jared growled at the man that Ian and he had kept each other alive and that he had no concept of life in an ST House. Then Jared grabbed the man by his jacket collar and summarily escorted him off Padalecki lands. 

Jensen was interrupted from his memories when Colin and Bradley chased each other down the steep path from the higher Omega den, stepping off the path in front of his den. 

“Jensen, come on. You’ll be late. I bet all the little kits are already sitting under the canopy waiting for you.” Colin called as he approached.

Bradley waved at Jensen, “I missed you, Jen. I hoped you would come to the Omega den during my heat to keep me company.”

“I’m sorry, Bradley, Jared-mate likes us to stay together in the evening. I can see you are excited to be out and about again. Let’s head down to the canopy.”

Jensen led the boys down to the central area. He could see all the little kits sitting in two rows ready for class. 

During his first week in the pack Jensen had spent his mornings helping to babysit the youngest kits. He felt awkward with his pack-mates and that he had little to contribute to the pack but he knew he could help mind the infants for a few hours. One day at the mid-day meal Sherry unintentionally helped Jensen to find his place in the pack. She openly criticised the second-mate for being unproductive and aloof. From his knees Jensen could see Jared glaring at his mother and getting ready to speak. Jensen lowered his head, palms sweaty at the prospect of a public argument about how worthless he was. However before Jared could answer his mother, Stephen spoke up, “Alpha, I have a proposal. Could Jared’s mate teach some of the kits English? I feel it would be a benefit to have the next generation able to converse in the urban language.” Gerald and Jared had conferred on the suggestion and Jensen found himself teaching a class of diverse ages every morning.

By the third class he had every kit capable of speech as well as Lilly, Emma and Felix in attendance. Bradley and Colin drifted in and out, and even some of the adults would attend if they had the time. Jensen loved teaching. He never knew it would give him such pleasure or that he would have a talent for it. He could never have been a teacher in the urban world, but he offered thanks to his deceased father, that he had let him take the full range of omega educational units, including the one on how to home school your future kits. 

The kits seemed to enjoy the lessons and they helped him learn the old language too. Jared had marginally relaxed his no touch command so that he could help the young kits with their writing, and take a couple of the younger ones on his lap for story-time. He ended every lesson with story time. He was currently working episodically through his own invented mating-quest story including swords and a dragon.

He finished that day’s lesson on a cliff-hanger with the questing alpha facing down a pack of jackals. Colin and Lilly came up and offered clean his den for him if he gave them spoilers. Jensen threw back his head laughing and realising the teenagers were just as fascinated by his made up fairy tales. When he looked up, Jared was leaning against one of the tree trunk roof supports, watching him laugh. 

“Jensen-mate, you laugh well. I like it. I must make you laugh more.”

Jensen rose and went to his alpha who pulled him in for a kiss. Jensen forgot they had an audience as Jared’s tongue took possession of his mouth and his desire swelled. Jensen pushed his hips up to Jared’s groin, grinding against him. Gods, he had what Brad and Colin called a twitchy hole. He imagined Jared knotting him, but Jared pulled back out of the embrace, leaving Jensen with a glazed expression.

“Needy little omega, today? I promise later. Come for food.”

It wasn’t raining but the sky was dark with clouds, so the meal was in the cabin. Jensen was not one of the mates who helped to cook but he went to the range and helped bring the offerings to the central table.

After the meal many foxes stayed to help clear up and prepare for the evening repast, but Jensen was exempt. His afternoons were dedicated to Jared’s lessons for Jensen on the pack, the territory, his role, communicating by fox mind and the old language. 

The couple headed for the lake. It had become their tradition to sit near the water collection point on two comfortable flat rocks. Some days they shifted to fox and lay on the rocks. Other days they used the rocks as a starting point to run as foxes exploring the layout of the territory as far as the outlining farms which the pack leased to non-members. 

Today Jared decided they would walk downstream in human form, staying close to the den, in case of a downpour. He took Jensen’s hand, linking their fingers, and asked “You happy teaching? How are you liking the pack?”

Jensen thought for a moment before answering, “You know, I didn’t realise how lonely I was back in my old life. Almost everyone has welcomed me into their home and the pack. I found the collar and tag overwhelming too at first, but I know they mark me as yours.”

“You are my special mate. My true mate. Do you miss your old work?”

“Oh Gods No. Jared. Not at all. My old job was horrible and unrewarding. Teaching the kits is amazing. They are wonderful children and being able to share our languages is so satisfying. I miss very little about my old life. I miss my house sometimes and my internet friends. I miss my independence, but I am trying my best to make you proud. You are so full of enthusiasm but I must keep my decorum in public, when I’d like to argue back to your mother, or share in the pats, hugs, claps and rough-housing that goes on. I understand I must leave all that to you and the way I act reflects on you and the pack. I am just still trying to adjust, I guess.” Jensen shrugged.

“Jen, you are doing so good. My mate.” Jared pulled him in by the shoulder and wrapped him in his arms. It was the first time that Jared had called him Jen, and his chest swelled with the feeling that all his efforts were appreciated and that his mate was proud of him. 

Their moment was broken by screams of foxes fighting. A ball of red fuzz tumbled down between the trees in front of Jared and Jensen, almost ending up in the lake. The two intertwined vixens broke apart spitting and clawing at each other. Jensen could see blood dripping from the muzzle of the slightly smaller fox. Jared stepped between them and commanded “Stop fighting and shift, Now!”

The two vixens shifted. Emma and Lilly stood before Jared, shamefaced. Lilly had a long gash on under her right eye. 

Jared looked down at them “No more fighting. Do you think your behaviour will please Alpha Christopher and Beta-Rosie?”

The girls looked at the ground and muttered, “Yes Alpha, No Alpha.”

Jensen was impressed by his mate’s presence, as if he was already a pack alpha.

Lilly cried, “She called me a baby-kit!”

“Lilly-kit, I was 14 when I popped my knot. It will happen at the right time. Beta-Emma, you will not mock your sister again.” 

Emma asked, “I won’t, promise Alpha. Can we go to Vixen-Sherry to fix Lil’s cheek?”

“No. Go with Jensen. He will take care of it. No more fighting.”

The girls nodded and followed Jensen meekly to the cabin, Jensen figured that if Jared was channelling his inner pack alpha, then Jensen was meant to take the role of pack vixen and tend to the injured kit.

Once he had the girls in the cabin, seated by the range, Jensen cleaned the scratch on Lilly’s face and asked what the fight was about.

Lilly said, “Emma told me I am a freak, cos we are twins, and she is a beta for months now and I am still a kit. So I bit her. I’m sorry Em.”

“I’m sorry too, Lil.”

The girls hugged and made up, then took off skipping out the door as if they had never fought.

Jensen was putting away the first aid box when James and Allyson came into the cabin with their kits.

The kits ran over to Jensen, “Good Afternoon Teacher.” They carefully pronounced their words. Ashley was only four and her five year old brother Jack thumped her in the arm, “It is afternoon, silly, not affernoo.”

“It was very good, kits.” Jensen smiled at them.

Allyson brought over a cup of broth for Jensen. “Here Jensen, would you like a warm cup? We are all back from a fox run and in need of warming up.”

“Thank you, Beta-Allyson.”

“Oh please, Jensen, no need to be so formal with family. Call me Allie, or if am being my annoying self, James calls me Alley-cat.” She grinned. 

As Allyson made sure that more of the broth ended up in Ashley’s mouth than on the floor, James came over to Jensen.

“Stephen and I are accompanying the Pack Alpha on the supply run tomorrow. Is there anything you need in the town?”

Jensen thought of all the possible things he would like to buy if he got to shop with a credit card, but then he considered what he actually needed.

“James, could you go to a bookstore and get me some pre-school readers and some slate boards and chalk? If the books are too expensive, they may have some at a goodwill store.”

“I will ensure we get you what you need for the class. But we all get a few treats. You certainly deserve your treat for all the work you have put in with our kits.”

“Can you add a jar of coffee to the list?” Jensen blushed, “Have you asked Jared?”

“Coffee: tick. Jared has a standing order for razors and hair products.”

“Can you have two items?”

“Sure.” James replied, “What else do you want?”

“I don’t think that razors and shampoo are treats. I’d like a tub of jellies for Jared.”

James laughed. “That is the first time anyone has requested candy for an adult, but he’ll love them. I’ll get Gummi Bears, I remember him hoarding those as a kit.”

The cabin was getting busier. Sherry came in with Tony’s mate Amber, who had her three furry baby kits in a pouch. 

Sherry announced, “The chance of rain has passed we will serve the evening meal at the long table.”

The evening meal was a lighter feast than the main midday one; plates of fruit and cured meats, with a variety of breads and jugs of vegetable broth and milk. While there was less food, it was the more formal meal. Every pack member attended and sat in their appointed places at the table. Jensen hated it. He had to kneel between Jared and his mother. It was difficult to eat next to someone who obviously loathed him. Jensen still couldn’t understand her antipathy towards him. He knew now that it was partly due to his ancestry. On one of their lake walks, Jared had explained that the wild packs had long held feelings of betrayal about a decision of the Ackles Pack 150 years earlier. The Ackles had been on the losing side in the civil war and as part of the peace treaty were due to pay tribute to their surrounding packs. Instead of staying and living alongside their neighbours, the whole Ackles pack decided to live in towns and cities. Some of those Ackles had been founding members of the new government. Jensen found it hard to deal with being punished for a decision his ancestors made, and also with the delight with which Sherry greeted the news that he was the last of the Ackles, that the betrayers had died out.

As those with younger kits drifted away to put them to bed, Sherry started spouting off about how she thought that every alpha should have a beta. Jensen looked away and to his left and he could see Sebastian smiling at him. Mark’s blond omega was leaning casually against his alpha’s leg, rather than kneeling with his large belly. Sebastian was giving Sherry two fingers and winking at Jensen. Jensen felt better. He hadn’t taken enough time to get to know the other omega and resolved to put that to right starting tomorrow. Ignoring Sherry, Jensen also decided that he would ask Jared if he could spend some time in the omega den.

Jensen was starting to snooze off, leaning into Jared, like Sebastian was doing to Mark. The remaining foxes at the table were finalising the supply list for the next day.

Everyone jumped to their feet at the harrowing scream of a vixen. Amber raced through the trees, screaming for Tony. 

“The den, Tony. The Den has collapsed. My babies. The babies were in the inner room.”

Tony grabbed Amber and tried to calm her. Gerald started organising a rescue team. James, Christopher, Oliver, and their mates were to dig out the den. Felix, Lilly and Emma were to take the younger kits to the cabin. Samantha and Stephen were to take Tony and Amber to their den. Tony objected and Gerald added him to the digging team. Jared and Mark were to shift to fox and go to the clinic in Lakeside and fetch the doctor. 

Jensen felt a shiver run through him as Jared’s hand faintly brushed along the top of his head as he stood up. Jensen turned his head up to look at his alpha but Jared and Mark were already shifting to fox and they took off down the hill at top speed.

Sherry called Jensen, Sebastian, Bradley and Colin. “Go to the omega den and wait there.”

Jensen objected, “Pack Vixen. Brad, Colin and I could help dig or mind the kits.”

“No Jensen, I have given an order. Bradley is only just over his heat and you will only get in the way as we all avoid touching you. Get up to the den and take care of Sebastian.”

Jensen got Colin and Bradley to help Sebastian up the steep slope. Carrying triplets was no joke. 

Entering the Omega den for the first time, Jensen realised it had the same basic lay out as his own den. The third little room was obviously Colin’s personal space. The main room was full of blankets and cushions and a couple of low tables with oil lamps. There were some of Bradley and Colin’s personal belongings scattered around. 

Sebastian wrapped himself in a nest of blankets and picked up a book of French poetry. “Ah-ha. I wondered where that had got to.”

Jensen sighed. “Wish we could help.”

Sebastian looked up at him, “But we can’t sweet cheeks, bitchy-Vixen’s orders, so let’s enjoy some omega time.” He patted the blankets next to him.

Jensen made his own warm nest and sat next to the older omega, leaning his back against the wall. “I wonder if Amber and Tony’s kits are OK?”

Sebastian gave him a quizzical look, “You are a worry wort, aren’t you, Jen-Jen?”

“Jen-Jen, really? Seb-Seb?”

“Ugh, don’t call me Seb. Now tell me is Jared’s knot proportional?”

Jensen’s jaw dropped open. Bradley and Colin collapsed onto the blankets next to Jensen, laughing, “Ignore him, Jensen, he is outrageous.”

Colin spent the next while regaling them with stories of how many times he had saved Bradley from the wrath of his father or the Pack Alpha by hiding him in the den or covering up the other omega’s failed pranks.

Jensen asked him how come he was living alone in the omega den. 

“When I was 13 my Alpha-father was killed in an accident. He was in the town with Alpha Gerald and Alpha Jared. He was killed by a vehicle while crossing the road. My parents were true mates and by the time the Pack Alpha came home to tell us what had happened, my omega-mother’s mating mark was already hardening. He was dead by morning. One of my eight older mated sisters came back to the pack to collect me. I didn’t want to leave my home. Suzie insisted I come with her but,” Colin smiled at Bradley, “I went into heat and had to stay here in the Omega Den, and I refused to come out again until Suzie went home.”

Bradley smiled back at his friend, “It was very clever of Colin. I was the only one able to enter the den. The Vixen was having a fit but Jared and Gerald thought he was old enough to take care of himself. He is such a stubborn mule; I don’t know what he will do when he is mated.”

Bradley started regaling them with comical stories of the various alphas who had visited the pack in recent months to court him, describing them as caricatures and acting out the various suitors’ behaviour.

They were all under the blankets and snuggled up when they heard Sherry and the doctor speaking outside the entrance. 

Colin put a finger to his lips and cocked his head to listen. The others followed suit.

Sherry was using the fawning tone of voice that she deployed when she was trying to get Gerald to do what she wanted. “Of course, Doctor, your mate will be safe here at the omega den.”

The doctor said something they couldn’t hear in reply.

Then Sherry’s voice travelled down to the omegas again, “I am sure he will be happy here while you treat the kits, if he needs anything my own son’s omega-mate is in there, I am sure he will aid your mate in any way.”

Sebastian huffed in amusement, “Looks like you have been volunteered for babysitting duty after all, Jen.”

The new omega came into the room in fox form. He was small with the tan coat of a prairie fox. The new fox ducked his head in acknowledgement of his non-pack status. Jensen could scent the omega was in the early stages of pregnancy. He smelled good to Jensen and he knew he would be happy to help this fox, whose mate was saving the lives of the pack’s kits.

The fox shifted and time froze for Jensen. There in front of his eyes, naked and trembling with nervous energy was his friend Misha. Misha was standing before him, in the flesh, actually there.

“Mish?”

Blue eyes sought him out from under a thatch of unruly black hair.

Misha whooped with laughter, jumped in the air, hitting his head off the ceiling and then ran and threw himself on top of Jensen. 

“Jen, is that really you? I was out of my mind with worry.” Misha pulled back a little so he could look Jensen in the eye, “I got Matt so concerned that he put in a missing person report on you, but they told him you were mated, and then I made him take me to your house but there was a sold sign on it, and I left messages on all the omega websites for you, and rang all the helplines, and when Matt was at work I wrote to the Omega Campaign but we couldn’t find you. I was so worried that you were in a Home and the government was covering it up and Matt said I couldn’t keep going on and he has started to bring me everywhere with him so I won’t be alone, and all the time you were here, close to our home, in a pack that Matt tends too. I’m sorry I’m rambling, and I’m crushing you.”

Jensen couldn’t stop smiling even though Misha’s breathless story was full of all the anxiety and worry that his disappearance had caused his friend.

“Yeah, Mish, ease off a bit here. And ahem, my alpha has a no-touch policy.” Jensen pointed at the dumb red tag.

Misha gave a surprised “Oh” and pulled back from Jensen but then bent down and kissed him on the forehead. He scooted over to the pile of spare blankets and grabbed a few for himself. When he came back he squeezed in between Sebastian and Jensen.

“So?” Misha queried, “Where is the new Pack Second-mate, I should formally introduce myself .”

Jensen raised his hand out from under the blankets. “That’s me.”

Misha looked at him in disbelief. He tilted his head to one side as if he was checking that Jensen was still Jensen.

“What Jen? You are the prodigal son’s mate? The alpha grapevine is buzzing with gossip about you.”

“How would you know that, Misha?” Bradley asked.

“Well little Bradley-bear, Matt and I have a modern open mating based on mutual respect and shared lives.”

“Is that why you don’t have a proper collar?” Colin asked.

“Colin, really darling, that was rude.” Sebastian chided.

“Yeah, Colin.” Misha supplied. “In towns and cities, you see a variety of collars, from velvet ones like mine, to plain leather, and leather covered metal like the Padalecki ones, but also plain metal and even heavy chain ones. I once saw a green-tagged omega with only a rope collar.”

“Poor thing, “ Sebastian said sadly, “My home pack has banned the green tag and are part of a campaign to close the brothels in Europe.”

Bradley interrupted, “You were going to share Alpha gossip with us, Misha.”

Misha looked at Jensen, “You should hear what they are saying about you, Jen.”

“What? Come on spill, you tease.” Colin was half out of the blankets resting his elbows on his knees and his head on his fists, waiting for the gossip.

Jensen had never seen Misha blush on Skype, but he was blushing now.

“Well..." Misha took a deep breath. “You might already know that news of Jared’s escape has gone viral. Even urban foxes are calling him a Hero of the Wild Packs. The envoys are dining out on the tale as they travel on their rounds. They say that Jared planned the escape from the reprogrammers. They say that the wolf packs are have gone on a month of celebrations at their king’s brother’s safe return and that The David-Wolf is crediting Jared with his liberation. Matt has a colleague close to the Wild Were Council and they are saying that now that Jared is mated he should be given a rank at the council higher than envoy. There are stories coming out from the Feral Alpha campaigners of how Jared never submitted in all three years in the programme, and how his resistance gave hope to other imprisoned alphas. The more mystically inclined are saying that the gods rewarded him. How immediate on his escape he completed his quest by finding his true mate.” 

Misha looked at Jensen and giggled manically, “They make you sound like an omega from one of the old mating sagas. The most popular version is that you are beyond the normal mating age but were untouched by any alpha. That you were waiting for your true mate, demonstrating the gods favour on Jared. They say that you are the prettiest omega of your generation, but had been hidden during the mating parties of your peers. You are said to be the last of an ancient line. The envoys say that they have been impressed by how respectful and well mannered you are, showing you honour Jared and basically it all adds up to that the sun shines out of your slick ass and you are some kind of super-omega.”

Jensen’s reaction moved from amazement at Jared’s reputation, to further amazement at his own, then to laughter at Misha’s final flourish. 

He punched his friend playfully in the arm.

“Hey,” Misha grinned, his blue eyes twinkling in the lamplight, “I thought you were on a no touch rule.”

“Very funny, Mish, I thought you said I was a super omega.” Jensen stuck his tongue out at his friend.

“Ahem,” Sebastian interrupted, “Jen, you really are on a no touch rule, and I don’t think you should be hitting the doctor’s mate.”

Jensen put his hands up and then snuggled down in the blankets. 

“Mish, Come down here with me and you can whisper what has been happening with you and on the websites, and I’ll tell you what really happened to me, it’s not as romantic as the alpha tall tales.”


	5. Chapter Five

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The howling storm echoed through the omega den. Jensen marvelled once more at den architecture. Due to the twist in the entrance tunnel, not a puff of the gale force maelstrom reached the nesting room. Yet the air remained fresh due to ingenious ventilation slots in the chambers. He shook out the blankets one by one, folding and stacking the clean ones, and putting any soiled ones aside for a laundry session at the lower lake washing rocks once the weather improved. 

Most foxes were holed up in their own dens or gathered around the fire in the new cabin. English classes had been postponed the previous day due to the coming storm, so Jensen had time to give Colin a hand with the den. Colin, being 17, decided that meant that Jensen was offering to clean the den and had taken off to have time with Bradley as soon as Jensen had arrived bearing a bucket of water and a scrubbing brush. 

Finding some tan fox hairs on the blanket he was folding, Jensen smiled at the memory of Misha’s unexpected arrival in the den, on that awful night last week. They had talked all night in frenzied whispers long after the other omegas had fallen asleep. A weight, one that Jensen had not realised was pressing on his chest, lifted as he was able to candidly relate all that had happened since he walked out his back door to collect his washing. His friend in return supplied details of everything he had done to try and find him. Misha’s face had been animated with joy and he unintentionally gripped Jensen’s hand as he imparted his news that after so many years he was pregnant for the first time. Jensen knew that Misha was a pro-suppressants campaigner, even moderating the contraception message board on the Omega Fertility website, and although his friend had been private about his own choices, thinking back he remembered Misha needed cheering up after his heats earlier in the year. He figured that Matt and Misha must have been trying for a while. Misha had grown up in a pack and they compared some notes about pack life versus urban life as they finally drifted off to sleep in the early hours.

Early next morning, Matt had called his mate to the den entrance. When Misha returned he had a tray of breakfast for everyone, with the instruction from Sherry that they were to stay in the den. Misha bore the news that two of Tony and Amber’s kits, Faith and Wesley, would be fine, just needing observation in case of concussion, but one of the little mites had been crushed beyond saving. The omegas huddled back down into the nest of blankets, food forgotten, at the devastating news. 

Bradley wanted to go out and find Amber and be there as the pack bade goodbye to little Isabelle. Sebastian pointed out that they had been told to remain in the den. For the first time, Jensen heard Colin criticising the Pack Vixen, raging that she was keeping them from attending the farewell and from offering help to the rest of the pack. Jensen kept silent. Sherry was still Jared’s mother and he would hold his counsel until he found out from Jared why they were being excluded. As it turned out, Jared hadn’t known about it. Allyson had suffered a broken arm during the dig out, and Matt had sent her to the clinic to be treated while he remained at the site. Stephen drove and Jared accompanied the betas as pack representative alpha.

Flicking out the last blanket and bringing his thoughts back to the present, Jensen noticed a book falling out from between the folds. It was Sebastian’s French poetry book. He picked it up and opened the cover. There was an inscription:

“For Mon Beau Fils, carry this book of amour with you to your new mate and home, may the love in these writings bloom in your mating, always votre Maman.”

Jensen closed the cover. He knew Sebastian would want this treasured book with him and that he had meant to bring it back to his own den. Braving the storm, Jensen headed for the den of the Third. All the alphas had gone to deal with a fall of trees in the eastern woods. Sebastian would be alone in the den and would most likely appreciate some company and the return of his book.

Jensen raised his voice at the den entrance, ignoring the icy winds, flurries of leaves and snow that were battering him.

“Enter” Jensen could barely hear the voice coming from deep inside. 

Jensen ducked in and looked in the greeting vestibule but there was no-one to meet him. He wondered if Sebastian was laid up with the babies, maybe unwell, and he kicked himself for not thinking of bringing some early lunch or at least something to drink with him. 

“You better be sick, Sebastian, making a visitor walk right into your nest!” Jensen quipped as he came to the opening for the nest-room. His heart stopped and throat closed, Sebastian was not alone.

“So that is how you demure and respectable omega-mates actually speak to each other when you are alone?” Mark did not sound amused.

Jensen looked at Sebastian’s naked back between Mark’s legs. Mark’s hand was gripping his mate’s shoulder holding him in position.

“Are you going to greet me in my own den, Jared-mate, or have you completely thrown proper conduct out the door? I’m afraid Sebastian is a little busy right now ensuring that my cock doesn’t get cold.”

Jensen would have spoken if he could get his tongue and his throat to start working again.

“Huh, ahem, Alpha-Mark, I thank you for admission to your den. I am returning your mate’s book which I found in the omega den.” Jensen put the book on the floor.

“Isn’t that nice of Jensen, Sebastian-baby?” Mark moved his other hand around the back of his mate’s skull and pulled him further onto his cock and Sebastian made a sound half between a swallow and a gagging noise. 

“Sebastian says thank you. Goodbye now Jensen.”

“Yeah, Goodbye alpha.” Jensen made his way back out of the den. 

It was close to midday but he retreated hastily to his own nest rather than going to the cabin where lunch was being served.

He thought back to the factory and Tom and Mike. He had always thought there was something special between the wolves. Even though it made him uncomfortable to see Mike cockwarming his alpha, Jensen also saw it as public evidence of their bond and the trust that existed between them. 

There were no reference points from Jensen’s previous life for normal intimate practices in wild mate relationships. This new life had not come with cliff notes. 

Seeing Sebastian doing the same thing for Mark, he was not sure that the omega was enjoying it much but perhaps he had tensed up due to Jensen’s unexpected visit. Jensen wondered why Jared hadn’t asked him to give him that pleasure. Maybe he was worried that Jensen wouldn’t like it or Jared might have worried he would hurt his mate if he knotted his mouth. Jared was very large and Jensen thought he would have to dislocate his jaw to take the knot, but he wouldn’t mind. Jensen wondered if he hadn’t been asked because he wasn’t good enough, not trusted enough, or had not shown Jared that he trusted him enough. Doubt and anxiety crept up Jensen’s spine. He had become comfortable in the pack and comfortable with Jared. Jared often praised him and called him a good mate, but maybe his alpha was not satisfied with him. 

Snuggling under the blankets to soothe his nerves, he considered asking Misha for advice, but dismissed the idea. Misha would more than likely have a weird story about omegas cockwarming each other, or how to do it standing on your head, or while knitting a hat, none of which would be of much use. 

Was it possible that Jared was waiting for him to take the initiative and show his alpha what his own sexual preferences were? 

Jensen wondered if that evening when they were seated at their own fire pit, if he should approach Jared. He imagined the weight of Jared’s cock, the vein resting on his tongue, his mouth stretched, the sensation of his alpha’s hand resting on the mating mark, the ache in his knees from waiting for the signal to pull back. His mind would dreamily drift becoming aware of his alpha when Jared would move, the cock jerking in his mouth. Small involuntary movements of Jensen’s tongue would cause Jared to half-harden and Jensen wouldn’t be able to prevent his saliva from seeping out the corner of his mouth to coat the faint outline of the knot. Finally Jared would tap his shoulder and he could start to suck and lick his alpha bring him fully hard and causing the knot to bulge at Jensen’s already over-stretched lips. 

Jensen never knew where his fantasy would have taken him next because in that moment his whole body spasmed in orgasm and he came hard in his own hand. He was still trying to get his heart rate and breathing back to normal when he heard Jared calling for him with great excitement.

“Jen”, Jared called coming down the tunnel, “Jen, you weren’t at the cabin, Felix popped his knot this morning. My father has broken open the bottles of elderflower wine.”

Jared burst into the nest, plastered in mud with bits of twigs in his hair from clearing the trees. He stopped dead and took a step back scenting the air.

“Jen? Why does our nest scent of sex?”

Dropping his gaze, Jensen muttered shyly, “I was thinking of you.”

Jared pulled the blankets back from his omega and crouched down next to him. “Jensen-mate, what were you imagining me doing to you?” 

Pressing his lips to Jensen’s forehead, Jared licked down over his left mate’s eyebrow, and then pursed his lips again to plant tiny kisses on his temple and down to his cheekbone. “Did I do this?”

He continued rubbing his nose along the cheekbone then kissing just above the corner of Jensen’s lips, before pulling back a few inches to give his mate a loving glance eye to eye, “Or this Jen?”

“I was doing it to you, Jared-mate,” Jensen gave a coy smile and licked his lips, “Let me show you.” 

Pulling down the waistband of the mud soaked pants, Jensen slipped his hand around his alpha’s cock. Jared tilted his head back, closing his eyes and letting his shoulders relax. Jensen dipped his head down, taking just the tip between his lips. Jared’s eyes flew open, and he used both palms to push Jensen forcibly back.

“Don’t do that Jensen.” 

Jared took a deep breath as Jensen tried not to let his disappointment show on his face, without much success, because Jared pulled him into an upper body hug saying “I’m sorry, mate” and squeezing their bodies together. He ran his thumb along Jensen’s lower lip, “You are so good to offer me that. I am not displeased with you Jen, but mouth play doesn’t do anything for me.” 

He kissed Jensen forehead once before abruptly standing up. “I am going for an icy dip in the lake to get rid of all this mud, will you look through our personal items and find a gift for Felix?”

Jensen nodded as Jared practically ran out of the den. 

Jensen was numbed by what had happened. His alpha had rejected him, yet he had held him and told him he was good. Punching his fist into the wall in frustration at his confusing mate, Jensen wondered if he would ever know how to please him and if they would ever reach that much desired non-verbal state of mated tranquillity where one mate could anticipate the wants of another and offer anything and everything the other needed without anxiety or doubt. 

Jensen mind wasn’t on Felix's celebrations that afternoon. He was confused and knew he seemed out of sorts to the other foxes. Pieces of conversation bypassed his brain but he couldn’t focus on the impromptu party. 

When they gave Alpha-Felix a packet of Jared’s razors, there was a good deal of good natured ribbing of Felix’s baby-facial hair and of Jared’s grooming habits. Jared’s booming laugh filled the cabin. He grabbed Jensen around the shoulders squeezing him in as if he knew he was off form and was trying to draw him into the fun, or Jensen wondered if perhaps Jared’s laugh boomed louder to cover his own unease. Jensen placed a hand over his mate’s heart and leaned into the hug. He looked around and realised everyone was there, except Gerald, Amber and her baby kits, and Sebastian. Mark was staring at him and Jensen looked away turning his head into Jared’s chest. 

The door blew open in the wind and Gerald stepped into the cabin accompanied by a tall black man in a long coat. He gestured to the assembled pack and turned to the man, “You join us on a joyous day for the Padalecki Pack. Our kit Felix is a kit no longer, but an alpha now.”

Speaking slowly and deliberately as if the old language was unfamiliar to him, the visitor intoned, “The Jackal Clans extend congratulations to the Pack of Alpha-Felix.”

Gerald spoke to Sherry asking her to arrange for those cooking to serve the evening meal in the cabin and to bring portions to the old cabin for the visitor, his next three in command, his nephew, their mates, and for themselves. He noticed Felix watching his exchange and called the new alpha over, “You have the apologies of your Pack Alpha, young Felix, for interrupting your day with pack business. We will have a council of Alphas in the coming days and I will welcome your contribution.”

The 12 year old beamed at him. “Alpha-Gerald. Thank you.”

Gerald sent his selected group ahead to the old cabin as he followed them with the alpha-jackal. 

Once everyone was seated and Sherry had handed around some furs to keep warm, Gerald stood to present the stranger. “Foxes, we are honoured by the visit of The Anubis of the Jackal Clans.”

Gerald sat giving the floor to the jackal, “I am Laurence, Anubis of the many Jackal Clans, mate of the Queen, son of the former Anubis, Speaker of the Wild Were Council.”

Gerald stood once more to present his pack members in the order they were seated, “Alpha-Laurence, I am pleased to introduce my Pack Vixen, Sherry. Next are my nephew Alpha-Oliver and his mate Katie. Then you have my Third Alpha-Mark, his expectant mate is resting today. This is my Fourth Beta-James and his mate Allyson. Finally my son and Second; Alpha-Jared and Jensen second-mate. My Fifth Tony and his mate have recently suffered the loss of a kit and are at den.”

Laurence nodded at each fox as they were introduced, “I am glad that such a representation from Padalecki Lake is present to receive my proclamation. The Wild Were Council hereby summon a meeting of Pack Alphas or their empowered representatives, to convene at the first dark of the moon in the territory of the Two Moons Wolf Pack. The Council believes the time has come to engage with the Urban government in a more organised and unified manner. Their government has offered a seat at their cabinet to a representative elected by the Council, in order to facilitate the drafting of new laws relating to the court granted rights of the wild packs. We also wish to come to a consensus on the future direction of the wild council and fill the vacancies caused by the deaths of the Alpha of the Fell Fox Pack and the junior Coyote member.”

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The following three weeks were filled with pack meetings and heated discussions at evening meals. Gerald announced that he was not going to the Council Meeting. Sherry looked like she had swallowed a lemon at that news. Jared was reluctant to go, explaining to his father that he had no desire to leave pack territory. Sebastian was due to give birth before the next new moon. Mark announced that he would go but would have to have a second representative with him. The pack fourth James was beta, as was Tony who in addition was still in mourning. Oliver and Christopher were alpha, but if Mark was called home to Sebastian, they lacked the innate status to implement the pack’s views in an assembly of Pack Alphas.

Finally one midday while everyone was still eating, Gerald stood from his place at the top of the table and roared for silence. “If this pack cannot reach a decision through reasonable discussion, I will make an order. My verdict is that my son will go as Representative Pack Alpha. Mark will travel as his advisor.”

“Your will, Pack Alpha” Jared bowed his head at his father’s diktat, but Jensen could see tension in the pulsing vein at his mate’s temple. He risked putting a hand on Jared’s thigh and stroking him. When Jared remained staring into space, Jensen rested his head against his alpha’s knee, and then Jared’s hand moved to cup the back of his neck. Not a word was spoken by either of them for the rest of the meal as Jensen could hear Mark and Gerald discussing if any packs were unlikely to attend the conference.

When lunch was over, everyone spread out. Jensen expected Jared to be called by his father. Before that could happen, Jared shifted to fox and called Jensen to follow. Then Jared took off uphill through the dens and over the crest, with Jensen doing his best to keep up with an alpha who looked like he was running for his life.

Finally Jared stopped far upstream, flopping to lie on his side, where the lake source was only a spring bubbling through mosses. Jensen trailed after him, panting and heaving for breath, skidding to a stop and letting his tail hang down with fatigue.

Jensen queried the tumultuous chase. 

“You wouldn’t understand, Jen.”

“Please try me. Let me try to understand.”

“There are many things to tell you. Things I will tell you. I don’t want us to go. I want us to stay here and learn to be mates. You are doing so well. All the pack loves you, and this is our home. If we go and something happens... what if the meeting is a government trap to take Pack Alphas and leave the wild packs leaderless, or we are attacked by urban-extremist terrorists, or they won’t listen to me because they think I have been reprogrammed, or they think our Pack is not giving enough deference to the Council by sending representatives. Jen, I wish my Father would just go. Oh!” Jared paused in fox-mind.

“Oh?” If Jensen had been in human form he would have raised his eyebrows.

“I know why he and Mother won’t go. They don’t trust us to take care of the pack in their absence. Why should they? Not yet back three months. I have not proved myself as alpha. I understand now. I am sorry to drag you away from our home, Jen, but we will have to go.”

“Jared, I really think you have that wrong. Your Father is sending you in his place. You will be Pack Alpha at the council, his representative, his stand-in.”

“No, Jen. I know my parents. It is a sign of their judgement but we will do our best for the pack.” Jared rested his chin on his front paws and closed his eyes, avoiding further discussion of the topic.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The moon was a bare sliver in the early evening sky. Jensen started on the uphill path, carrying some kindling for Amber’s fire pit. Tony and Amber were staying in the old abandoned den of Oliver’s deceased parents, William and Cissy. It was the highest den on the hill and was a temporary stop gap until their home was restabilised.

The alphas and beta-James and beta-Stephen were having a meeting in the cabin, finalising the pack’s response to any issues that Jared and Mark would have to face at the Wild Were Council conference. 

They were leaving in the morning. Jensen was nervous about the trip. If he was to tell himself the truth he was scared shitless. It would be his first time leaving the den in months. The council had taken over a rural hotel on the edge of Two Moons territory, often used for company conferences and the like. While this was not an urban setting, it was close enough to make Jensen think of the so called ‘civilised’ society he had always known. Then there was the weight of what Jared expected of him. They would constantly be in public, no cuddling, no talking back to Jared, shit if Jared refused to shoulder tap him there would be no talking at all. He would have to behave like the perfect omega-mate or draw distain on the Padalecki pack. He knew Jared was concerned that his own behaviour would be scrutinised after being so long in the hands of the authorities, and Jensen wanted to be sure that nothing he did as omega-mate put the slightest taint on the pack.

Jensen was pulled from his anxieties as Sherry called for him via the fox mind. She was in the Pack Alpha den. Jensen hesitated at the entrance, placing the kindling by the opening. He had never been invited inside but Sherry’s voice called out for him to join her. He entered the passage way and turned to the reception cave. Sherry was seated with Oliver’s twin kits chasing each other around her legs. Her fond expression for them showed that she could have kind feelings, but Jensen wondered why she never seemed to extend them to her own son.

Jensen bowed his head. “Pack Vixen, you called for me.”

“Yes. Jared-mate,“ And there was the ice back in her tone, “You know that Mark’s kits will be born very soon, perhaps in the coming days. Sebastian will not travel with his mate, and due to his ridiculous ‘no touch’ rule Jared will not share you with Mark as an omega should be.”

Jensen was horrified at the implication that in her opinion omega-mates should routinely be shared around to relieve other alphas’ blue balls. He wondered where Sherry was headed. It couldn’t be good.

“Jared and Mark make a strong team representing the pack. They have always worked well together and it is vital that the Padalecki Pack is not sidelined by other fox packs at the conference. I believe it would be better if you stayed behind. You can stay in the Omega den and support Sebastian’s first birthing.”

Sherry had made good points, ones that Jensen had thought about himself. She smiled at him, seeing that he was chewing over her words.

Continuing, she couldn’t help sticking the knife in, “Also I wish my son to find a beta-mate. There will representatives of many packs there and I have asked Mark to find out which ones have suitable unmated betas who have been educated and raised to the role of Pack Vixen. I am sure it would be uncomfortable for you to be present during such negotiations.”

“Vixen Sherry, I am flattered by your concern for me,” Jensen lied through gritted teeth, “but I am sure you realise that my going or staying is not my decision. Jared wants me there.”

“Do you not talk to your mate in your own den Jensen? You can ask to stay here and give him my reasons.”

Jensen shook his head, “I am sorry Pack Vixen but I cannot speak of what happens in our den. It is forbidden by Jared. I will do my best to honour the pack by my actions at the conference.”

Sherry looked frustrated as Jensen turned to leave but there was nothing she could say about the way Jared decided to treat his mate, even if Jensen had told a white lie about being forbidden to speak of what happened in his den.

Jensen was shaking like a leaf as the adrenaline left his system. He couldn’t be a calming influence to Amber in this state. He returned to his own den and crept under the covers of his nest. Jared’s scent helped to ease his shaking heart. He shifted to fox and burrowed down into the blankets, trying to find a warm spot and to ignore Sherry’s plans for Jared to take a beta-mate.

Would Jared do it, for the good of the pack? 

A pretty beta vixen, raised by a pack alpha father to run her own pack one day, mating with his Jared. It was a nightmare. Jensen would have to submit to her. She would decide when Jensen could have children, she would name Jensen’s kits, be called their mother while Jensen would be only omega-mother. She would be Pack Vixen standing beside Pack Alpha Jared. She would have the greater claim to Jared’s bed and in time to his affections. In his distress he didn’t hear Jared return, becoming aware only when Jared’s hand pushed under the blankets stroking and caressing his trembling flesh.

Using the fox mind Jared gently enquired of his miserable mate, “Jensen-mate, what has happened to you? Did somebody hurt you? Has someone laid a hand on you?”

“No Jared-mate. No one has touched me.”

“Then what has happened, why are you so sad? I can feel it coming from you like waves of misery? Have I done something to hurt you?”

“No not you. It was your mother.”

Jared growled.

“Your mother told me of the plans for Mark to find you a beta-mate at the conference. I am sorry I am so weak and not good enough to be your Pack Vixen. I will try Jared-mate and be the best Omega-mate I can be and I will obey my beta-mate and not let you down, but Jared it hurts. It hurts so bad.”

Jared barked as if he was in fox form himself. “I will kill her and I will rip her poisonous tongue from her head. Jensen-mate, you are my True Mate. I will never want another. I will never take a beta. Never. Just you and me always.”

Jensen poked his head out from underneath the blankets and saw the distress on his mate’s face and the truth of what he was saying in his mate’s hazel eyes, which were glistening with unshed tears.

Jensen shifted back, the sudden increase in body size knocking Jared off the nest and onto the dirt floor. 

Jared’s laugh boomed out. “Pushing me around now that you are sure you are the only one, hey mate?”

“Jared, you mean it. You don’t want a triangle mating.” Jensen had to ask, had to be sure.

“Never ever ever. Besides the poor vixen would be very frustrated if I never touched her!” Jared laughed again.

“At the conference, you’ll tell me what to do? I don’t want to embarrass the pack.”

“Oh I see that Mother’s barbs had many prongs. You will be fine Jensen, better than fine. We will show them all as we stand as True Mates. Now come lie back down on our nest we need to get our rest for the morning.”

They lay down together and Jared licked salty tear trails from Jensen’s freckles. Then moved down his body, blowing puffs of air over his mate’s nipples. 

“I thought you said rest, Jared-mate.”

“Just want to make you feel good, my pretty little bitch.” Jared licked down Jensen’s trail to his groin and then caught his mate’s glands in his mouth, one by one, sucking and laving them as Jensen’s dick twitched in response. 

Jared pulled back. Jensen thought for a moment that he was about to feel his alpha’s hot mouth on his dick for the first time, but Jared switched to his hand and began his favourite and talented rhythm pulling and squeezing until Jensen’s moans grew in volume. Jared then squeezed the base of his cock 

“Such a needy little omega, filling up for your alpha.” Jared stretched up and planted a crushing kiss on Jensen’s plump bitten lips. 

“Jareeed, please, please alpha, can I come?”

“You ask so nicely, baby, of course you can come.” Jared jacked his mate’s cock fast and hard and in a few thrusts Jensen’s hips arched up and he came in a blinding panting moment, his come covering Jared’s hand and pooling on his stomach. Jared ran a finger through the cooling sterile omega come and lifted it to Jensen’s mouth.

“Here baby I know you like to taste.”

Jensen opened his mouth obediently and sucked hard on Jared’s finger. He spread his legs apart expecting his alpha to want to knot his now well lubricated hole, but Jared just seemed content to lick Jensen’s stomach clean, and as he did the stroking of Jared’s tongue lulled Jensen towards sleep. As his eyelids closed he could see Jared’s eyes were wide and staring at the ceiling, Jared gripped his hand and pulled it up to where Jensen liked to rest it over his heart. 

As Jensen’s awareness faded to sleep he thought he heard Jared’s thinking; “Like that, good mate, I can do this with you there beside me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone for the kudos and your comments. Very grateful for the encouragement. <3


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so author confession. My sister basically saved this chapter from a bad, I mean bad, first version. She corrected some blatant medical impossiblities. Neither of us are in the medical field so mistakes may remain. I dedicated this chapter to her!

There was pain.

Nothing but blinding pressure filled every atom of his brain.

Eyes were glued and heavy. He tried to extend his senses, tried to feel where he was.

There were other foxes near, betas and an alpha, but the pain was all encompassing and he couldn’t connect with them.

A female voice, urgent but concerned, “He is aware. Finally. Can you open your eyes, Alexander?”

That was his name. He was Alexander. There was more than that but he couldn’t reach beyond the pounding in his head.

The soft voice again, kind and low, “It is okay, Alpha-Alexander, I am going to give you a shot of morphine. ‘kay? You’ll just feel a little pinch now.”

That wasn’t right. He hadn’t misbehaved, had he? Was he under sedation?

He tried to open his eyes again. Things had changed. Time had passed.

There was a male voice, one he had heard before, “Candice, he isn’t responding, that’s bad, right?”

It was later again. He could feel that time had got away from him. 

He was aware of a hand stroking the back of his own. The pain had lessened and he was able to reach out with his fox-mind, expecting the female beta, but it was a male alpha. The alpha’s mental touch brushed back against his. It didn’t seek dominance nor submit to Alexander, but it seemed to offer comfort. It was such a strange and unusual offer that he tucked his awareness back. He had no point of reference for such emotion and how to respond.

That was wrong. He did know. He could remember. He pushed his mind to grasp at the memories. 

 

He was on the bus. He had been on the field trip. He had hunched against the window, unable to believe he had been allowed out of the house. He had felt nauseous, having been fed a bowl of oatmeal that morning, despite having had one meal the day before. That day had been his 16th birthday. He was mature, able to mate, able to hold alpha status and claim alpha rights, or he would be if he was ever let out of the State Transition House. The Coyote Warden had given him his maturation papers, the extra meal, a speech about how he could have a future in civilised society, one that a wild pack would never offer such a skinny weak alpha, and the warden gave him the gift of a seat on the field trip.

When the bus stopped at another ST House, ten mean looking alphas in chains got on board. Alexander heard the jackal from B-wing say that these alphas were all wild caught and their house was designated maximum security. It was said that those who had been lost in alpha rage were sent there. He tried to calm his nerves, dampening his fear pheromones.

Once the new arrivals were seated and unchained, Alexander was surprised that the atmosphere onboard switched back to the relaxed one that had pre-existed on their journey.

Alexander gazed out the window letting the noisy chatter flow around him. Three jackals, five wolves and two foxes comprised the ten new arrivals. His ears twitched as he heard of two foxes being on board. He looked around trying to locate them. 

Billy the Coyote kicked the back of his seat. “Look at that, baby-alpha, it is like an old world myth being played out.”

“What?” asked Alexander as he twisted around.

“The David Wolf. He is receiving supplication from the other alpha wolves. Fucking wolves and their monarchy. You wouldn’t see one Coyote alpha bowing to another. I suppose you’ll be crawling up the aisle next.”

“Billy, cut the crap. I might be 16 but I’m not bowing to any wolf.”

“No Dumbass. Up front. Jared-Fox.”

Alexander looked up. He could see the top of the head of a giant alpha with long hair. “Billy, you are saying that is Jared Padalecki. But he is meant to be on lockdown in a maximum security house.”

“It’s him. Thought you would have sensed it.”

Alexander was off his seat before he could think about it. He felt the pull towards this alpha and he opened his tightly controlled awareness. His knees shook as he reached the front row. The other fox wasn’t looking in his direction, rather he was focused on the windscreen. 

Alexander dropped to his knees and waited to be noticed so he could introduce himself. Moments later a hand rested on his head. Something clicked in place. The fox-mind on board was a pack-mind and Alexander had been let in. While Jared spoke with him his hand stroked Alexander’s hair. Finally the older alpha told him that he would be welcome at his home pack. 

When they had been allowed out of the bus, Alexander found that he was standing next to the other fox-alpha who had come from the same house as Jared. Alexander’s guard told him to hold his hands out and tied them together, as the other fox’s custodian said, “Behave Ian, hands together.”

There was a flurry of activity. Everything happened at once but in slow motion. Jared slammed his head back into his guard’s face and sprinted away from the park in a blur of movement. The David Wolf snapped his cable tie and howled with such force that all other wolves dropped to their knees. He was answered by howls from many directions and distances, but he had already disappeared into the park. Ian had his guard on the ground and snapped the man’s arm as he pulled out of the restraining hold of the guard. Then Ian was gone in the wake of The David Wolf. 

Alexander’s guard caught him in a choke hold and forced him to his knees. The other alphas were being restrained. One guard got chains and a long case from the bus. Another pulled out a radio and called for back up and an ambulance. Then Alexander saw two guards take guns from the case and move towards the park.

He couldn’t let that happen. Brave heroic alphas making their escape from the program could not be shot down. He would not allow it. No-one was looking in his direction. He wasn’t considered a threat, the baby alpha kept hungry and weak to ensure his co-operation. 

No more.

A growl rose in his fox-mind. He stood and took off after the armed guards. Both guards had veered left when they entered the park. Alexander followed, crashing through bushes and loping across expanses of grass. He gained on them but not fast enough. They had Ian in their sights. A gun was raised. 

The young alpha roared and launched himself. The guard turned towards him with the weapon.

There was a fire in his chest and he was flung back. A sickening crack reverberated through his head.

He was burning, loud and wet burning.

He blinked and Ian was leaning over him, blood on the other alpha’s white shirt. “Alexander, stay with me.”

Then there was nothing and there was pain, until now. He could feel Ian sitting beside him.

He opened his eyes. He was on a normal bed, in a normal house. It looked like a young boy’s bedroom, like on a TV show. Nothing like the dormitory in his old foster home or his cell in the ST house. Light blazed into his eyes and he blinked to adjust his vision.

Alpha-Ian was holding his hand. He had dark circles under his eyes and looked haggard.

“Thank the gods, Alpha-Alexander, You are back with us.”

Alexander tried to return the other fox’s smile. His lips were cracked and dry and he gulped at the dryness of his throat.

Ian held a plastic beaker of water to his lips and helped him to sip a little.

“You were shot, Alexander, in the chest, and fell back smashing your head on the rocks. You saved my life.” Ian squeezed his shoulder, “We got away. Do you remember? I carried you out of the park to the street below. A van pulled up and shouted at us to get in. You were unconscious when I laid you in the back. It was a racoon dog alpha, who was part of the Feral Alpha Rights campaign and had seen the commotion of our escape. He hid us in the back of the van until it was safe to bring us into Charlotte and to the Accola house. They are a beta family and the mother, Rita, is an ER nurse. She got a sympathetic doctor to come here and work on you with her. The bullet missed any vital organs, so you didn’t need a hospital for surgery, but your skull was crushed from the fall. Amed and Rita set up your hospital room here in their son, Ed’s bedroom. It was lucky you didn’t need to be ventilated. Several times we thought we would have to admit you. You have been in a coma, Alexander, and I have had a civilisation lesson more than any in the ST house.” Ian chuckled.

“What? Huh?” Alexander managed in response. He was trying hard to keep up with what Ian was telling him.

“Well, I’ve lived in a city house. I know how to work all their appliances, and how to take blood pressure, and change a catheter and an IV bag.”

“How long?”

“2 months.”

Alexander tried to understand that two months of his life had passed. “Are they looking for us?”

“I think they would like to find us and ‘convince’ us to return, but there is no manhunt. We have been careful. I will not feel that we have safely got clear of them until we are in a wild pack.”

“Hey Ian,” a young female voice called, “Don’t tire out the patient.” 

An attractive young beta as few years older than him, with long flowing blonde hair, came into the room. She came over and put her arm around Ian’s shoulder. Alexander could sense their attraction to one another in their mingling scents and wondered if they were considering joining as mates. 

The young fox introduced herself, “Hey Alpha-Alexander, I am Candice Accola, daughter of beta-Amed and beta-Rita of the Accola families. It is very nice of you to join us, but my mother would kill Ian and me, if we overtired you. So we are going to leave you get some rest. Beta-Rita will be home in a couple of hours and she will check on you.”

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

A week later Alexander was sitting in the conservatory at the rear of the Accola home, enjoying some rare winter sun, when the doorbell rang. They were not expecting anyone. The sympathetic doctor had come the previous day and given him the positive results of his mental acuity and physical tests. Glad he had no lingering brain injury; Alexander knew he just needed to build up his physical strength.

Ian came into the conservatory and closed the door between it and the main house.

“Candy says it is her cousin Aria, from one of the semi-wild villages. She is trying to get rid of her but if she won’t go, we are Jack and Ace Waters from the North-West.”

Candice called them from the kitchen. Alexander stretched his muscles as he stood and they joined the Accola daughter.

“Aria, this is Jack and Ace Waters, they are students on a road trip, who came down with the virulent flu that has been such a problem this winter. Ace was hit badly but they couldn’t afford hospital and my mother took pity on them. They have been staying with us until they are well enough to move on. Jack, Ace, this is my cousin Beta-Aria Accola, daughter of Ayr, the Dog-Alpha of her village. Aria is the business accountant for the village.”

Aria was in her forties, small and dark haired with a port-wine birthmark on her left cheek and neck, but her face lit up when she smiled at the two alphas, “Pleased to meet you alphas, I am in town to file the farm accounts with the Department. Candice was kind enough to extend family hospitality to me for the night. Ace, you must have been very ill, boy, you are skin and bone. Where did you say you were from? Are you a Star-fox Ace, you have the look of the Star pack, tall and fair?”

Alexander hadn’t known that he looked like his birth-pack, “No Ma’m, Jack and I are from far north of the Star foxes.”

Luckily their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Rita from work, and Amed bringing home Ed after soccer practice. Aria was greeted as an old friend and she pitched in to help Rita and Candice prepare the evening meal. Alexander’s mouth watered at the smells coming from the stove. His alpha-appetite had developed, recovered from having been stunted by years of never feeling full.

Over dinner, Amed asked Aria if she had any news from the villages.

“Life goes on, cousin. We are not sending a representative to the Wild Were Council convention.”

Ian asked with his mouth full, “The what?”

Aria looked at the blank faces around the table, “OK, I know you all are isolated from wild news in the city, but the Wild Were Council have convened a meeting of pack alphas for next week. They are going to strategise on how to meet the challenges of the urban government and how the Supreme Court ruling affects wild packs.”

Once dessert was on the table, Amed asked Maria if there was any family news.

“Do you mean have I found a mate yet? Don’t you know a mate would only get in my way?”

They all joined Aria in polite laughter at her joke, but Alexander noticed Ian and Candice making moon-eyes at each other.

“So,” Amed asked, “No Accola news?”

“You grew up with Anna didn’t you?”

“Gods,” Amed sighed, “I haven’t thought of poor Anna in years. She was such a sweetheart, fell hard for Stephen Padalecki and his little boy. Her boy must be what, 11 now? Phoenix was it?”

“Felix and he is 12. The last envoy through the village passed on the news that Felix popped his knot. A rare Accola-blood alpha, especially when his parents were both beta, and I think that Anna could have been a descendant of Allegra Accola.” Aria wiggled her eyebrows.

Alexander didn’t know why that was significant.

Ian tried to sound calm. “A true rarity then, if he is an Allegra Alpha. Does Felix live with his father?”

“Yes. Felix lives at the Padalecki pack. In fact the envoys have been spending more time talking about events at Padalecki Lake than delivering messages or proclaiming the Council meeting. Amed, you remember what gossip hounds they can be? Surely you have heard all this news.” Maria looked at her cousins.

Rita gestured at Alexander, “We have been a bit out of the loop, with Al... Ace’s illness.”

Aria laughed, swilling the water in her glass as if it was wine, she rocked back in her chair. “Well, let me play the role of a travelling envoy then.”

“Draw near dear foxes for the story I will tell is one of courage and loss, of journeys and homecomings, of mating quests of olde times.”

Ed twisted around and smacked Aria on her arm, “Get on with it!”

She didn’t react to the ten year old. “Patience, hear audience.”

Alexander noticed that everyone was smiling and relaxed.

Aria continued, “so I do presume that you are not so removed from current affairs that you have not heard of the escape of The David Wolf, Jared of the Padalecki and Ian of the Fell.”

Rita nodded. Ian gripped Alexander’s bicep hard.

Aria looked at her audience, “Story goes, Jared somehow created a pack mind in his ST house. We had all heard rumours that he was in captivity and unbroken but with the escape, stories have leaked out of his immovable resistance. On the night of the escape, The David Wolf made it to the borders of Five Rivers Pack. He reunited with his brother The Joseph Wolf and told that Jared-fox instigated their escape. The Joseph Wolf issued a decree that all wolves, wild and urban, were to aid Jared, Ian, and another alpha that got away, in every way possible. However, Jared did not need the aid of the wolves. He made it back to his home pack, but not alone. Immediately on his getaway Jared was shown the favour of the gods and found his true mate.”

The beta paused to check the impact of her story. The Accola family were smiling. Ian looked as if he was going to cry. Alexander was riveted on her words. 

She took a sip of water and continued, “Jared claimed his mate, an urban omega living independently, without knowing he was the last of the Ackles. Jared-mate left behind his civilised existence and Jared carried him on his shoulders as a fox, day and night, hidden from the eyes of the State until they reached his home den. I told you it was like a saga of olde.”

Ian asked, “What is Jared-mate like?”

“Well Jack, the envoys have got to be milking the story for all it is worth. They make it sound like he is a pretty princeling from a fairy tale. He is said to be tall for an omega, with eyes like the summer forest canopy, his skin freckled like autumn leaves, and that he when he kneels beside Jared they present the archetypical image of The Alpha and Omega Mating. Jared has placed a red tag on him, and even though he does not bear one, he treats his alpha with such reverence, that it is like he also has a blue tag.”

Alexander couldn’t stop himself from saying, “Whoa.” And saw the others were rapt in the story.

Aria leaned back again not finished her tale. “The Padaleckis are sending Jared and their third, Mark Star, to the council. There is almost as much anticipation about The David Wolf and Jared-Fox as there is about the meeting itself. No-one has heard of Ian Fell since the day of the escape, or of the other alpha that was rumoured to be shot. If you do hear anything, Jared and David have both asked for the council to be contacted and they will pass the information on to them.”

Amed asked if any Accola villages were sending someone to the meeting, changing the flow of the conversation.

Alexander’s mind wandered as the others discussed the unique semi-wild Accola perspective on politics.

Ian cleared his throat, “Excuse us, Ace is still not fully well, would you forgive us if we retire early?”

Aria stood as they did, “Not at all, Jack and Ace, it has been a pleasure to meet you.”

Back in Ed’s bedroom, Alexander let Ian help him to bed like a child, suddenly undone from all the events of the evening.

“Ian?”

“Yes Alexander.”

“We are going to Alpha-Jared?”

“Yes we are. You need a few more days to get your strength back. I need to ask Candice to join me as beta-mate. But I think we can aim for the Padalecki Home Den to arrive soon after the council meeting ends.”

“Good,” Alexander murmured sleepily, “Cos he’s my pack alpha.”

Ian didn’t have the heart to explain to the young fox that Jared would only be Second to them if they joined Gerald’s pack. He walked to Candice’s room with a ray of hope for the first time in as long as he could remember.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A J2 free chapter, I know, holds hands up and offers the consolation that the Wild Were Council Meeting is next.


	7. Chapter Seven

There must be a special place reserved for him in the After-life-pack. Jensen had reached this conclusion after four hours spent in the back of a chauffeur driven people carrier with Jared, Mark and the extremely drunk Pack Alpha of the Beaver Pack. 

The Wild Were Council had arranged for the Padalecki representatives to be collected on the border of the pack lands. When they picked up Jim Beaver, the red-haired grizzled alpha was already swaying and cursing the invention of roads and vehicles. He slid into the double seat beside Mark, offering the other alpha a swig from an open bottle of damson firewater. He then proceeded to variously berate Jared for refusing to mate his daughter Lauren, repeatedly congratulate them on their mating, cuss Lauren out for being too prickly a character to attract any alpha, kept asking Mark if he knew a cute little Star Omega whose name he couldn’t recall but who he had courted as a teenage alpha, called them all idjits, and kept smacking Jared on the arm praising him from getting away from ‘those bastards’. Jim continuously introduced himself to Jensen and leaned across to try and clap him on the upper arm. Jensen thought Jared would explode as he whacked Jim’s arm down for the sixth time and Jim slurred another apology while muttering about the stupidity of tagging.

Eventually they arrived at the country house hotel. There was a welcoming committee of the straight backed gel haired young beta-Hotel Manager and an older grey haired patrician alpha-wolf called Boris, who introduced himself as Second of the Two Moons pack. The manager gave them the key cards for three adjoining rooms. Jared had to firmly push Jim into his assigned room, when the Pack Alpha threatened to help them settle in with another bottle of firewater.

Jensen unpacked their bags while Jared wandered around the room, picking up random things and awkwardly putting them back down.

“Ahem, Jared?”

“Yes, Jen?”

“What are you doing?”

“Just checking. What is this?”

“It’s a trouser press.”

“And this?”

“It is a shoe tree.”

“Will you put our shoes on that and our trousers in the press?”

“I wasn’t planning to. I was going to put them in the closet. Would you like me to?”

“No, I mean. Hotels are weird, right Jen?”

“Yes, alpha, weird.”

Jensen put on the television. There was an episode of Dream House Makeover on. He turned the sound up to listen as he put away their clothes. As he shook the wrinkles out of their formal dress wear, Jared called that he was going to have the first shower. 

Once the water was running, Jensen pulled out the hotel welcome folder and looked up the outside line code. He waited a few moments to make sure Jared was in the shower, and picked up the phone.

“Lakeside Medical Centre, how can I help you?”

“Can you put me through to Dr Cohen’s office?” Jensen whispered.

“Are you a patient?”

“No it is a personal call. I actually need extension 457.”

“Just a moment. I will try and patch you through.”

Jensen waited until he heard, “Jen? Is that you? Are you alone?”

“Yeah Mish, I don’t have long, Jared is in the shower. How are you feeling?”

“Well I am still trying to expel my stomach lining 24/7 but Matt says the morning sickness won’t last much longer. What is the hotel like?”

“It is real plush. Like something out of Lifestyle Magazine. The reception will be formal and in the ballroom.”

“Jeepers, Jen, you gonna have to wear the leash?”

“Mmm, yeah but Jared isn’t going to lead me with it. He left it hanging down my back when we did the rehearsal in our den.”

“I’m going to get Matt to slap him.”

“What? No Misha, why?”

“Jen, the leash is really old fashioned, like medieval stuff. Omega Equality Now has a bill drafted to ban them. They are trying to get senators onside to table it. Promise me you will be observant and not focus completely on your alpha. I bet you’ll see very few leashes and almost as few tags.”

“Mish, please now is not the time for this. I have to focus on Jared. I need to be perfect. We have to be perfect. It’s very important.”

“It’s freaking ridiculous, that’s what it is. Gods, Jen, expecting perfection dooms you to failure.”

“Mish, the water has stopped. I have to go. I’ll try and call you again before we check out.”

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

There was a short wide flight of stairs to descend into the ballroom. The cherry wood of the steps was polished to a high shine. 

A butch wolf with a buzz cut dressed in a military style uniform stopped them at the top of the stairs. He looked at Jared’s heavily embroidered canvas jacket which he wore over the soft buckskin trousers. Mark stood to his right similarly attired but with a simple star design in studs on his formal jacket. Jensen stood slightly behind Jared’s left shoulder, wearing the plain canvas trousers of an omega. He had a laced up green leather jerkin on top, matching the green of his collar and leash. He looked down as the preceding Pack Representatives were working their way down the greeting line. They were one of the final groups to arrive for the reception. Jared had wanted to be sure that they all looked their best before they descended to the ballroom.

Boris walked up the stairs to meet them and nodded at the wolf in uniform who turned to face the hall.

“The Padalecki Lake Representatives: Jared, Second Alpha and his mate. Mark Star, Third Alpha.”

Jensen kept his eyes on Jared’s back as they descended the stairs, following Boris. When they reached the bottom step, Jensen sneaked a glance at the assembly. Everyone had paused their conversations and were staring at them. Then the applause started. Individual hand claps, followed by some whooping, and then more clapping. It rippled through the crowd before respectively dying out as they stepped in front of the dignitaries. The tight mask of control that his mate wore didn’t give Jensen any clue to tell if Jared realised the assembly were cheering for him and his return from captivity.

The stopped in front of a swarthy wolf, just above six feet tall, and a petite but strong and lean wolf with her hair styled in long brunette ringlets. Both were in their late thirties or early forties with welcoming smiles on their faces. Boris gestured to them. “May I present my Pack Alpha, Ty Olsson, and our Pack She-Wolf, Beta-Amy?”

“Jared-fox, the Two Moons Pack is proud to welcome you to our territory.” Ty obviously surprised Jared by drawing him into a hug and then propelling him towards Amy who wrapped as much of her wiry frame around him as she could. 

Then Jensen was being crushed by Ty’s huge arms and being pulled in for a bear hug. He gave a panicked glance at Jared, but before his mate could react, Ty grinned at Jared, “Pack Alpha exception, hey Jared?”

Jared had little choice but to nod his acceptance of the breach of protocol. Jensen couldn’t sense any rage building in his alpha, but Jared fingered the end of the leash as they moved down the line. 

Amy smiled at Jensen, “We are delighted to welcome you here, Jared-mate. Please excuse Ty’s enthusiasm. Our pack is inured to his hugging tendencies. We have been mated for many years and I have learned to indulge his idiosyncrasies.”

Ty leaned over from where he had been greeting Mark, “Amy means that she keeps me in my place!”

The next in line was the Pack Third, Ralf, who Jared spoke to about the wolf’s envoy duties.

The Two Moons pack members gave way to the Wild Were Council President The Joseph Wolf, Speaker Jackal Laurence and Senior Delegate Coyote Lenard.

Jared bowed his head at the wolf king, but Joseph stopped him. “No Jared-Fox. It is my honour to welcome you back to the council. We have much to talk about. Please would your party consider dining at our table during the convention?”

“We would be honoured. This is my mate, Jensen.”

Jensen looked at The Joseph Wolf through the eyelashes of his lowered gaze. The wolf had curled dark blond hair and piercing blue eyes. He was dressed in a black three piece suit, shirt and tie. Power radiated from him and Jensen could understand why he was called an uber alpha. 

“Very good to meet you Jensen. My omega-mate Daniel will be glad to make your acquaintance at our table.”

The Anubis greeted both of them warmly. The coyote Lenard, who was a tall grey haired and long faced alpha in his fifties, spent a few minutes bringing Jared up to date on who comprised the current envoy team, while ignoring Jensen. 

Jared linked his elbow into Jensen’s and guided him towards the central buffet table. There was a vast array of finger food. Jensen smirked to himself wondering if this was deliberate to make things easier for the alphas with omega mates.

Jared handed Jensen a large plate and proceeded to choose a variety of canapés, tartlets and bite-sized sweetmeats. As they worked their way down the buffet line, they were approached by a young racoon dog alpha who was almost as tall as Jared with black tightly curled hair and eyes almost as dark to match.

“Excuse me Alpha-Jared; I am Peter Mendoza from Central City. My party are here as nominees of the Urban/Wild Alpha Rights alliance.”

“Good to make your acquaintance.” Jared smiled tightly. Jensen could feel Jared’s lack of enthusiasm for any urban delegate, even ones on the side of the wild packs.

“Good to meet you too. My group has long hoped and worked towards the changes that are happening today. I came to ask you if your party would come to our table for the meal.”

“I am honoured, Alpha-Peter, but The Joseph Wolf has already requested our presence. Perhaps after we have eaten.” Jared smiled with charm.

“Thank you. We look forward to seeing you then.” The urban alpha ducked his head slightly in respect before leaving them return to choosing their meal.

The tables were large circular affairs which seated four alphas and their mates comfortably. When the foxes reached the top table, Ty and Amy were taking their adjoining seats. The David Wolf was next to Amy, and The Joseph Wolf was at Ty’s right hand. The Joseph Wolf’s mate was kneeling next to him. Ty gestured to Mark, to take the seat next to Daniel. He then moved the cushioned kneeling pad for Jensen to the other side of the last vacant seat, so that David and Jared could be seated together and Jensen could kneel between his mate and Mark. 

Jared and David pulled each other into a hug that seemed to degenerate into competitive backslapping, much to Joseph’s amusement as he leaned his chair back on two legs and grinned at his brother.

“We made it, man” David pronounced when they had finally pulled apart to sit down.

“We did.” Jared agreed solemnly. “What about Ian? Have you heard anything?”

“No. Nothing. I doubt the other fox made it, though the authorities are keeping everything about our getaway hush hush.”

“The other fox? Are you sure, we had heard only that another alpha had tried to escape.”

“That is what our wolf contacts are saying. I didn’t even notice another fox on the bus, did you Jared?”

Jensen could feel a tight sadness in his mate.

“Yeah, David, there was one. Gods, he was only a kit, barely an alpha, and they obviously had been hard on him. His cheeks were sunken in, and when I laid my hand on his head his skin was so cold. I badly wanted to take him with us. Maybe he had more fight left in him than I considered or they expected.”

“I hope you are right, Jared.” David glanced at Jensen, “Is this your mate?”

“Sorry, David, I forgot my manners,” Jared huffed at himself. “This here is Mark Star, Third of the Padalecki and my advisor for the conference.”

David leaned across and shook Mark’s hand.

“And this is Jensen, my true mate.”

David grinned at Jensen, “Charmed, I’m sure, You will have your work cut out with this one, Jensen, he was impossible in the State Transition House. Do you ever get to see him in this form back at the den?”

Jensen could see that David was ribbing Jared and he responded ambiguously, “Jared is a very fine fox.”

The conversation changed to the current statements being circulated by the government on their willingness to engage with the wild packs. Jensen sneaked a closer look at the wolf king’s mate. He was dark haired and a similar height to his own. Daniel was quite attractive and Jensen could see the King casually touching his omega, almost unconsciously as the conversation flowed.

Jared passed Jensen down his own glass of wine to sip between the canapés he regularly popped into his mate’s mouth. Jensen noticed that Daniel also had his own glass and that Daniel received food into cupped hands and then nibbled on the items himself.

The waiting staff appeared to clear away the plates and supply everyone with a glass of champagne.

Boris appeared with a microphone for Ty, who stood and welcomed everyone to the conference and his pack lands, before passing it to The Joseph Wolf to give his welcome.

Jensen was happy that they were finally heading for the exit, when he saw Peter Mendoza intercepting them. Jared sent Mark to check on Jim Beaver’s condition, while they headed over to meet the urban weres. 

It was a shock to see Alona and Richard seated at the table. Jensen froze a few feet from them and Jared took his hand looking quizzically at this strange reaction.

Alona came around the table, “It is an honour to meet you Alpha-Jared, I am Alona Tal, Alpha of Rock Hill and this is my mate, Beta-Richard. Hi Jenny-boy, you are looking good.”

Jared growled, “You know Jensen? Jensen you know this alpha?”

“Yeah, Jared-mate,” Jensen swallowed his astonishment and informed his alpha, “We went to school together, I haven’t seen Alona and Richard in years.”

“Jenny was the cutest member of our play-pack in school. We missed him when he got his first heat, and his father kept him away from all of us. I hope you won’t be offended Jared when I confide that Richard and I went to Beta-Ackles when Jenny was 19, asking him to let us have Jen as our omega-mate. Mr Ackles kicked us out the door, didn’t he Rich?” Alona laughed and tilted her head back towards her mate.

Richard nodded from the table, his mouth full of one of the mini-strawberry soufflés.

“Jensen and I must move on now. We will meet again during the conference I am sure,” Jared’s tone was terse but he politely nodded to the Tals and the rest of the table. He wrapped an arm possessively around his mate’s waist as they headed for their room. 

As they waited for the elevator, he whispered, “Jenny? What was that about? Is that your pet name? Why did she think she could call you that in front of me?”

“Jared-mate,” Jensen replied in a soothing tone once they had the elevator to themselves, “When we were kits, we would play ‘pack’ in the school yard, Richard was always dog-alpha, Alona would be top vixen and the rest of us were followers. They called me Jenny, or pretty-jenny, so I wouldn’t get ideas about being alpha, it was not a name given in kindness. Once we reached puberty and I began to look more omega, I hated the names, but it was too late to object. Then I went into heat proving they had been right in their teasing all along.”

Jared slung an arm around his mate’s shoulder as they walked to the room. His fingers trailed over the claiming scar, offering comfort at the unhappy memories, and taking peace from their bond.

Once inside their room, Jared sprawled on the alpha sized four poster bed. “I’m starving, Jen. Do hotels have anything to eat besides the bird food they gave us?”

Jensen laughed, “We can get room service delivered or call out for a pizza. What would you like Jare?”

“Something filling, you chose.”

Jensen called for two steak sandwiches with fries and a pitcher of beer. He found a good movie on the listings. They changed out of their formal wear into something more relaxing. Once they had eaten, they spread out on the bed, Jensen resting his head on Jared’s chest, for the rest of the evening. Jared drifted off to sleep before the end of the movie. Jensen was glad that his mate could rest. He had felt his tension all day, from the moment they had left the den. Only when speaking with David did the coiled knot of anxiety seem to slacken. 

Jensen slid out from under his alpha’s arm and tidied their supper leavings from the bed. He took a quick shower to wash away his own nerves and then shifted to fox to snuggle into his mate for the night.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Breakfast the next morning was a formal affair, with waiter service at the table. Mark called to their room and they walked down together, taking their places at the wolves’ table again. Conversation was stilted with thoughts on the business of the day.

The first set of meetings took place in smaller conference rooms. The Fox room was set up as a boardroom with a long table holding jugs and glasses of water and pads of paper and pens for the delegates. Mark and Jared took places midway down the table, and a hotel employee appeared with a kneeling pad for Jensen, who sat sideways on it leaning against Jared’s leg, figuring they were in for a long haul.

The place at the top of the table for the Fox Council Member remained vacant. 

Jim Beaver looking remarkably sober and business-like stood and gestured at the top seat, “Good Morning, Alphas and mates, we have much to discuss in little time. Are the fox packs going to present a united front on the issues of the day? Who are we to nominate to replace Council Member Fell?”

Jensen thought every alpha tried to speak at the same time. The Fell Pack Alpha, a prematurely balding fox in a grey suit with a belly paunch, stood and claimed the seat for himself, saying he should inherit the role from his deceased uncle.

A grey-blond alpha in his sixties with a weather-beaten face jumped to his feet, “The Star Pack objects. The council seat is not a hereditary position. The last two members may have been the Fell Pack Alpha but this assumption is unacceptable, and frankly Derek Fell is not a good choice.”

Derek blustered that Robert Star was being personal and wanted the role for himself, to which the other alpha laughed bitterly and asked Derek to try being alpha of a pack on the front lines of the war against the urban government and see if he had time to dilly about with politics.

Jim Beaver stood once more and another alpha who reminded Jensen of a librarian or nutty college professor with his stringy body, tossed hair, wire rimmed glasses and brown suit, rose to his feet, “I, Jonathon Accola on behalf of The Accola collective and the Beaver pack would like to ask Jared Padalecki to consider the seat.”

Jared looked stunned.

Jim turned to him. “Jared, we hope you will take the council membership. You have the respect of the other weres. I know you are capable of the role. As Pack Second, your home pack can spare you more readily than a Pack Alpha for council duties.”

Jared nodded. “It is a great honour to be asked. I need to talk with my advisor. What do the other packs think? If you have a more suitable choice I will be glad to support that alpha.”

While Mark urged Jared to take the role, the other alphas sniped and griped with each other. Derek Fell’s countenance finally took on a defeated look, and he rose. “The Fell Pack nominates Jared of the Padalecki to the council.”

Jim also rose, “The Beaver Pack seconds the nomination, and will you accept Alpha-Jared?”

Jared stood, pulling Jensen up by his armpit to stand next to him. “I accept.”

The alphas tapped the table in agreement and the Accola representative agreed to announce Jared’s nomination at the later general assembly.

Jensen stood behind his mate as the other alphas came and congratulated him. Jared admitted being surprised but thanked them for their faith in him. Derek gave his congratulations under sufferance. Another alpha called Jasper told him how proud Sherry would be when she found out. Jared’s grip on Jensen’s hand tightened to just the wrong side of painful at that observation. 

There was a knock on the door and Boris-wolf entered.

“Apologies for my interruption, Fox-alphas. The Pack Alpha meeting is about to begin. If the other alphas and any beta-mates would like to go on the tour of the Two Moons pack lands, the group is gathering at reception. There is coffee and freshly baked goods in the Omega safe space room for Jared-mate and Jonathon-mate.”

Jonathon Accola asked, “I had planned to take Fabrice on the tour with me, is that acceptable?”

Boris responded, “Of course. That is no problem. Alpha-Jared are you attending the Pack Alpha lunch as your father’s proxy?”

Jared nodded to the older wolf, “The meeting is in the presidential suite, yes?”

“Yes Alpha-Jared. Would you like me to take your mate to the library, which is the safe space?”

“That would be kind of you, Alpha-Boris.” 

Jensen’s eyes widened with disbelief as Jared took the end of the leash and passed it to the wolf. “Go now, Jen, and I will collect you after the meeting.”

Stunned at being led through the hallways and reception on a leash, Jensen could barely hear Boris telling him about the library in a conversational tone, with the blood rushing through his ears. 

Was Jared trying to humiliate him or had it been a thoughtless gesture as his mate’s mind turned to his duty as proxy Pack Alpha? 

He remembered what Misha said about being observant and looked around at several other omegas making their way to the room. A couple were walking together, one backslapped the other at some funny remark. Two other racoon dog omegas were walking behind their mates. None of them had leashes or tags. Another wolf omega who followed behind a hotel employee had a red tag but no leash. Boris reached the door to the library which had a poster announcing that omegas and beta-hotel employees were only allowed entrance. Jensen saw a huge wolf alpha pulling a slim young long haired Asian omega along by a leash, a moment of solidarity was replaced by astonishment, as Jensen saw the new arrival sported a blue silence tag and a green sharing one as well as a black eye and bruised jaw.

Leaving Boris outside the door, Jensen was relieved to be greeted by Daniel Wolf inside the library. The royal consort smiled warmly as Jensen approached him. 

The room was large yet cosy with lots of soft chairs and a blazing fire. There was a long trestle table with white tablecloths, staffed by waiters offering coffee and muffins or warm scones. 

Jensen threw the leash over his shoulder and decided to ignore the way it hit his back when he walked. He joined Daniel in heading to the serving table. Jensen picked a muffin and asked for a large mug of hot coffee. He needed a caffeine hit.

Daniel took an extra second mug and they walked over to a knee high table surrounded by five tub chairs. The bruised omega with the tags was sitting there already and a short older omega was leaning over the back of the chair rubbing the younger one’s arm and telling him how good it was to see him. 

Daniel sat across from the omega and Jensen took a seat next to him. Two wolves came over and kissed the omega on the cheek, who smiled shyly back at them. Passing the extra mug over to the other omega, Daniel introduced Jensen to O. 

“O?” Jensen queried.

“Kenneth, the Three Mountains Pack Alpha, has kept O’s name to himself. We are always glad to see O. He lives a very different life from the rest of us. He is the only omega at Three Mountains and he is the pack’s omega. It is great to get together.” 

Jensen contemplated what that and the green tag implied and a shudder ran through him.

O smiled at Daniel and took a taste of the coffee. Turning to face Jensen, O fingered his blue tag and pointed at Jensen’s red one.

“Yeah, O,” Jensen laughed dryly, “I can’t hug you and you can’t talk to me.”

O stayed serious and pointed at Jensen’s leash and then at his own bruises.

“Ahem,” Daniel drew Jensen’s attention, “I think O wants to know if you are under punishment.”

“Punishment?” Jensen sounded confused.

“Yeah, I know it is a personal question, but we are all omegas here, we’ve all been over our alphas’ knees. O is wondering if Jared is more inventive than a simple beating.”

“What?” Jensen squeaked, “Jared has never laid a hand on me. He got me the leash for formal wear the day I was collared.”

“Really? How does he punish you so?” A jackal omega asked.

“He doesn’t?” Jensen was getting more confused now. Why were all the other omegas so at ease with the idea of their alphas physically punishing them?

“I think I know what the leash and tag are about,” Daniel mused. “Jared was kept in confinement for three years, continually being forced to see ‘civilised’ society as the only way to live. Once he was free it was only natural that he would embrace the old ways in his mating, the traditions of the wild alpha and omega mating.”

Daniel was called away by some of the others leaving Jensen in O’s silent company. He pondered what Daniel had said. Jared might be a traditionalist but he was also fiercely protective. Sneaking a sideways glance at the marks of violence on the young wolf, he wondered who had inflicted them. Was it O’s alpha or another member of his pack that O was obliged to mate with? Sherry seemed to think that omegas should be shared. Daniel had said that O’s life was a rarity, yet the other omegas thought nothing of being physically disciplined by their alphas. Jensen pinched his nose and shook his head to try and clear his thoughts. Were the Padalecki pack different with their carefree unmated omegas and lack of violence against them all? Or was he reading too much into Daniel’s question and one jackal’s comment? 

When he looked up O was returning to his seat, being stopped with kisses to his cheek by an elderly coyote. Jensen hadn’t realised he had been absent. The young wolf passed over a new mug of coffee to Jensen and sat back to sip his own refill. 

“So, I guess they all feel they need to check if you are good? You know, still sane with that green tag?” Jensen made a circular motion with his hand to include the whole room.

O threw his head back as if he was going to burst with laughter and then nodded his head fiercely.

“Do you mind it? All the coddling?” Jensen asked, then added quickly, “Not that I meant that they shouldn’t, just it seemed a bit excessive.”

O shook his head.

“I suppose you think I am envious, with my red one,” Jensen looked over but O was still shaking his head, “No? Good. ‘Cause I didn’t mean it like that. I think my mate wants me to wear it because he cares about me. Isn’t that sappy of me?”

O curled his fingers into a fist and tapped over his own heart, then fingered his blue tag. Jensen thought that meant that Kenneth gave O the blue tag for the same reason, but that was pretty far out there and he knew he must be misinterpreting O’s sign language.

All too soon they were being collected by their alphas.

Joseph appeared in the doorway for Daniel and all the wolf omegas bowed their heads until the royal couple left. Jensen found it quite amusing and quaint.

Boris called that the other Pack alphas were waiting outside and the tour party had returned to reception. 

Jared grinned when he saw Jensen coming out of the library. Grabbing him around the shoulders he asked if Jensen had enjoyed his omega time as they headed for the ballroom.

Jensen honestly replied that he had but was glad when Jared didn’t press him for details. “I bet it was more relaxed than your pack alpha meeting.”

“Yeah, Jen, it was all growl growl and alpha pheromones. Nothing got decided, but the meeting is a tradition.”

The ballroom was filled with seats with a long table on a pedestal at the top of the room for the council members.

Everyone was seated, even omegas had seats rather than kneeling pads. It reminded Jensen of the arrangements for a company AGM or a very civilised musical recital audience.

Jared and Mark sat with the other foxes.

The Joseph Wolf stood and called the meeting to order.

Jensen thought the afternoon would never end as it seemed every pack, species, region and age group had a different opinion to offer on how to engage with the government. He might have drifted off to sleep during one monotone alpha’s argument against negotiating with anyone lower than the urban president.

Having finally reached an uneasy consensus on engaging with the authorities, Joseph moved to the next item on the agenda. 

“Coyotes, can you please give your nominee for the vacant junior coyote council seat?”

A tall red haired coyote alpha with sharp canine features stood, “I, Evan Lindberg, Coyote, have the backing of my kind, and am the elected representative of the Pacific coyotes.”

Joseph, Laurence, Lenard and the other members shook the new council delegate’s hand as he took the seat next to Lenard.

“Foxes, can I please have your nominee for the Fox seat?”

Jonathon Accola stood, “We nominate Jared of the Padalecki.”

Lenard called out, “Foxes, excuse my objection but fox council members should only be pack alphas.”

Laurence raised a hand to speak, “That is only a tradition, not a rule.”

Lenard responded, “We coyotes elect our council members, but fox members have always been Pack Alphas. It is an unwritten rule.”

The David Wolf stood from his seat in the front row of the crowd. “Brother, permission to address the council.”

Joseph nodded his assent.

“I ask the council to accept my testimony. I swear on the gods that I bear witness that Jared Padalecki is a Pack Alpha, although he is presently Second of the Padalecki. He was the Pack Alpha of the foxes of the State Transition House.” David spoke with sincerity and authority.

The assembly remained silent but Joseph beckoned Jared to the council table.

Jared stood and walked up the central aisle as all eyes turned to him. Jensen felt his chest swell with pride in his alpha. 

When Jared reached the top table, Lenard shook his hand warmly, as did the other council members.

Mark grinned at Jensen, “The boy has done well.”

Joseph called for order and asked if there was any other business.

A wolf alpha, one Jensen had not seen before, raised a hand.

“I give the floor to the Pack Alpha of Seven Hills.” Laurence intoned.

“What is the council’s recommendation in dealing with the urban vigilantes? Our pack has suffered a heinous attack. Three of our teen alphas were set upon by a mob and mutilated.”

Mark whispered to Jensen that they had been talk of this during the pack lands tour. The three boys had been castrated and left to die.

The Star Pack Alpha stood, “Wolves are not the only ones under attack. Our pack has been victimised again. We are targeted regularly as our lands border the towns of the urban weres. Recently we have had to deal with a fire in our woods and an attack on two young female betas who had ventured into the town. A response is needed.”

The council agreed to raise the attacks with the government and to update at their next meeting.

Joseph stood once more. “That concludes the business of the conference. The council members will meet at the next dark moon and will send envoys to the packs on our conclusions. We will meet on Padalecki lands, if new member Jared will accept the honour. All that remains is to wish those who are leaving this evening a safe journey and to invite everyone else to the Formal Dinner here at 7 o’clock.”

The dinner was sumptuous, but Jensen was tired. He leaned against Jared as he tasted all the fine dishes, and accepted the congratulations of the delegates.

After the meal a run in the parkland was suggested but Jensen pleaded with Jared that they could retire and Jared made their excuses.

When they got to their room. Mark suggested a celebratory nightcap. Jared seemed reluctant but he showed Mark to one of the armchairs. Jensen got a beer for each of the alphas from the minibar and took his place on the floor next to Jared’s chair.

“A toast,” Mark proposed, “To Jared, Council Member, and pride of the pack!”

Jared tipped his bottle at the other fox.

“We should celebrate Jared.”

“How do you mean, Mark?”

“Threesome?”

Jensen stilled. 

Jared laughed, “Good joke.”

“Not joking, Jared, can we share him?”

“No Mark. I think it is time you left now. You have had one too many.”

Mark sprang out of his seat. “Jared no need to be miserly, let’s have some fun.” Standing over Jensen, he ran one hand down Jared’s thigh, while he ripped the red tag off Jensen’s collar and flung it across the room.

Jensen scooted backward on his ass until he hit the wall, “Jared-mate, what is going on?” he pleaded with distress.

“Be quiet now, Jenny,” Mark turned to him but then he was back leaning over Jared. He pushed down on Jared’s shoulders with his two hands, “Don’t worry Jared, no one will ever be as good or as tight as you. Biology gone wrong gave you a knot. Do you want to taste my seed filling your throat like the good old days? Then we can take turns fucking his omega mouth, you know his omega throat will open up naturally for us, not needing all the years of training I gave you.”

Jared was silent, staring at the carpet, not moving under Mark’s hold. 

Jensen couldn’t believe what was happening; could he have fallen asleep against Jared’s leg in the ballroom and be having a nightmare? 

There was panic building in his chest. He fingered at his collar, the red tag gone. He offered a prayer to gods he didn’t believe in, that Jared wouldn’t agree. 

When Jensen looked over again, Mark had pulled his long hard cock out of his trousers. He stalked over and Jensen tried to meld his body into the wall.

“Open up boy, you know you want it,” Mark taunted as his rubbed the head over Jensen’s lips. Jensen instinctively dropped his jaw at the alpha command. Mark’s hand roughly gripped his cheeks and forced his mouth to open wider. Jensen could taste the bitter-wrong precome drip on his tongue. 

Then Jared was knocking Mark to the floor in a body tackle. “WHAT do you not understand about NO TOUCH?”

Mark was pinned to the floor by Jared, but he laughed, “Okaaay, Jared, no problem. I’m all yours. Just you and me, my Jay-Boy.”

Jared clocked him one across the jaw. “Should have known you wouldn’t understand. You sick fuck. You will never touch me or my mate again, do you hear me? And if you ever touch a kit again, I will break every bone in your body.” He laid another blow into Mark’s chin, “I should thank you. You made me try harder to prove that I could be alpha. You made me fight to keep my identity. You never broke me and you made me strong enough to survive the last three years. Now Get Out Of Here, Mark before I lose control and beat you into the ground, like I have wanted to do since I was nine years old.”

Mark scrambled out from under Jared and bolted out the door.

Jared looked at Jensen who was shivering with shock. Jared crawled over to his mate and pulled him into a hug.

“Never going hurt you Jen. I wouldn’t. He can’t touch you. Never touch you. Only me.” Jared was crying.

“Jare, but he touched you. What he was saying. What did he do to you?” Jensen pulled his arms tighter around his mate.

“I’m fucked up, Jen. I can’t blow you or let you blow me and I know you want to cockwarm, that you find the idea hot, and most alphas enjoy it, but I couldn’t stand it. I can’t do that.” He dug his nails into Jensen’s shoulder, holding on.

“Gods, Jared, I don’t care about that. I didn’t know what to expect from you, from us, but you are the best freaking alpha. Misha said that you inspired so many weres and that the gods rewarded you with our mating. You don’t hit me, you talk to me, you take care of me and I know you’ll never let Mark touch me, but what did he do to you, my mate, my alpha?”

Jared lifted his head to look in Jensen’s eyes checking that Jensen was sincere and then he broke down in awful wracking sobs. “Three years I was in the House, alone and enclosed, starving and raving half the time. It wasn’t the heroic spell they have made out. I was surviving and you know the best part was that Mark was not there. Mother had wanted me to mate Lauren Beaver but I knew I had to leave on a mating quest, that if I was not mated to my True Mate that Mark would keep coming back.”

He was quiet for a few minutes, composing himself. “My parents thought I was going to be a beta or an omega. Mother promised me to Mark. I was nine years old. He took me to his den that day. I don’t think they knew, I hope they didn't. They thought he was friendly to the pack alpha’s son, that he was mentoring me. He touched me and told me that he would be my mate. He said he would have me even if I was a beta as time went by and I didn’t have a heat. It was the most wonderful day when I popped my knot. You have no idea. My Father was overjoyed at having an alpha son, but I was ecstatic. I vowed then to be the best alpha I could be. Mark disappeared for almost a year, going back live with his brother at the Star Pack and to offer them help after they had lost so many of their children in raids. He came back when I was 15 and at the start he was fine. He didn’t touch me. Then my Father assigned him to be my alpha-trainer, in the ways of the alpha. He taught me how to have sex without knotting, and how to deep throat, all with practical demonstrations, you understand.” The tears were flowing again and Jensen pressed a kiss on his alpha’s collar bone.

“There was a mating introductions camp when I was 16 and my Mother was outraged when I refused to go. How could I face the other alphas? Mark was delighted thinking I chose to stay with him. Father wasn’t having me under his feet when I was meant to be away and he sent me to the Fell pack for the summer. Ian was 15 and such a confident swaggering young alpha. We exchanged stories of our trainers, and Ian nearly shifted to fox and ran to my home pack to attack Mark. Ian told me the no-knot sex and other knowledge is only told, explained with words to young alphas not demonstrated. Ian was the only one who knew, until now. I never mated Jen, never took another fox for pleasure. Never touched another, except for hand jobs with Ian in the ST House. When I found you I lost my mind. I know our mating was violent and not gentle for you but I was consumed by finding my True Mate, you don’t know what it meant to me. But even then Mark tainted me.”

“What Jare, don’t say that, you are not tainted. He was the sick fuck.”

Jared‘s words came out in jerks and starts, “No Jen, that first day, Mark he put two fingers in me. He said... he said he was checking for slick... he said he knew I liked it... but I didn’t.... I was scared and it hurt... and he would do that... check for signs that I was omega... and I did... I did it to you... when we were mating, I knew you were omega, I knew you could take my knot, but I put my fingers in you to check, like I had been trained by That Bastard...” Jared shook with misery.

Jensen could only wrap himself around his mate on the hotel room floor and promise that everything would be alright while Jared broke down in his arms.


	8. Chapter Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nearly at the end... of the first story in the verse
> 
> Just a side note about pack names that cropped up in comments, not essential for this story so skip on to the chapter if you wish:   
> The wolves have 11 wild packs with a number and name (One Blood {The Royal Court} up to Eleven Cascades). Foxes have 8 wild packs and the ninth group The Accola Collective, foxes use a family name and a feature for their packs (e.g. Fell Creek, Lincoln Fields). The other species are less formal in their names using simple placenames. Padalecki Lake is a small pack in terms of members but standard size geographically. There are some sprawling packs, like Eccleston Caves, and populous ones like Three Mountains.
> 
> I have a timestamp ready to go when I have the final chapter up. The next long story needs tending to before I post it. If you want to follow me on twitter @natasha_witch I will update on how I am doing, along with other random tweets.

A muscle spasmed in Jensen’s neck jerking him awake. He pulled his arm out from under his sleeping mate and rotated his shoulder to ease out the caught muscle. He had been wrapped around his mate on the carpet, crushed into the corner between the armoire and the alpha sized bed. 

At some point last night Jared had retreated to the corner, hiding his tears from his mate, but Jensen had followed him. Extracting his limbs gingerly, Jensen gazed down at his gigantic mate’s body. Jared curled in on himself in his sleep, but Jensen could see the tremble in his mate’s form, still wrecked from last night’s emotions. He had held Jared in his arms, sobs shaking through him, until sleep had finally claimed him.

Jensen laid his head back against the bed post. He listened to Jared breathing and then leaned over to gently rub a hand down his mate’s chest. His alpha was vulnerable now, with all his secrets laid bare. Seeing Jared stripped raw of all his alpha defences had triggered something in Jensen. He was filled with a rush of alpha-like protectiveness or maybe it was omega-mother protectiveness. 

Was this what love felt like?

Making a silent vow that no-one but him was ever going to touch Jared again, Jensen spotted his discarded red tag under the bed, where it had landed when Mark had flung it away. He reached over and picked it up, rubbing the dimples on the metal between his index finger and thumb. As he traced the engraved JTP, he knew why Jared had given him the tag and profoundly wished that he had similar to give in return.

A shiver ran through Jared and Jensen slumped back down next to him, pressing kisses onto Jared’s cheek bones. His mate’s eyes opened locking onto his.

“Jen,” Jared voice hoarse and quiet, “you are still here.”

“Where else would I be? I am sorry Jare, but do you think you can get up, we are expected at the Formal Breakfast.”

“Jen, I don’t think I can go.” Jared turned his face into the side of the armoire, “Can you tell Joseph that I have taken ill?”

Jensen didn’t like this. Jared needed to get up. 

He couldn’t stay in the hotel room, on the floor. He would be missed at the breakfast. A part of him wanted to pull the duvet off the bed and hide underneath it with Jared all day, but he knew how important the pack was to his alpha. “Come on, Jared-mate, have a shower with me, you will feel better when you are all cleaned up.”

“No Jensen. I am going to go to bed, just for the morning, give me a few hours, just some time and I will be able to face them all again. Can you go and bring me back a tray?”

“I’ll get room service and I can stay with you.”

“Please Jen. Will you go to the breakfast? I will not have Mark be the only one to show his face this morning. Go, please, and give my apologies.” Jared pleaded and Jensen thought he was going to cry again. Gods, what was he going to do with his soft hearted pack-loyal mate?

Jensen splashed his face in the bathroom. By the time he emerged Jared had moved to occupy the bed. 

Picking up the menu, Jensen asked “What do you want for breakfast, alpha?”

“Don’t mind, normal stuff like bread and fruit, whatever.” Jared sighed.

Jensen dialled room service and ordered a stack of blueberry pancakes, a side of crispy bacon, toasted sesame seed bagels and a large pot of coffee.

He was lacing up his dumb dress jerkin when the waiter arrived. Much to Jensen’s concern, Jared turned his body to the wall while the waiter laid out the meal. Once the beta was gone, Jensen poured two cups of coffee and brought them over to the bed. Jared pulled himself up into a sitting position to take the offered cup. 

Jensen sat on the edge of the bed, “I don’t have to go. Some alphas have already gone home, not everyone will be at the breakfast. We can enjoy a good meal together here.”

Jared shook his head, his hair falling over his eyes, and spoke at the cup of coffee, “Go Jen. Give my excuses.”

Jensen sighed as his desire to follow his alpha’s wishes overrode his urge to stay and care for his mate.

“Promise me Jare, that you will eat some of the spread.”

“You’ll be late.” Was the only response he received.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Straightening his shoulders, Jensen walked into the dining room alone. He paused inside the room, unsure what to do next, scanning the room for Mark’s blond head. He could feel eyes on him. To the left the royal wolf party were talking with the racoon dog council member. Daniel spotted Jensen and he whispered into Joseph’s ear, before coming over to greet the fox.

“Jensen, Good morning, will you join us?” Daniel gave a welcoming smile.

Jensen hoped his sigh of relief at being rescued was inaudible, “Thank you, Daniel, I will.”

The Joseph Wolf caught him with a calculating piercing stare, but it was The David Wolf who addressed him, “Jared-mate, I hope that nothing has befallen your pack? Mark Star made his apologies early this morning.”

Jensen knew he gawped, “Mark’s not here?”

“No, he has left,” Joseph tilted his head in curiosity as he told Jensen how Mark had called his room in the early hours saying he had received a message that his mate needed him at home and Joseph had put a car at his disposal. “Did the fox not clear his departure with Jared? Where is your alpha?”

Jensen swallowed his nerves. How would Mark have gotten a message about Sebastian in the middle of the night? Was that a lie or was Sebastian in trouble with the pregnancy?

Pushing aside that problem for later, he bowed his head to the Uber-Alpha, “Jared-mate is not feeling well. We must have missed Alpha-Mark’s attempt to make contact. Jared has requested that I come and ask for your understanding about his absence from breakfast.”

David raised an eyebrow as he linked Jensen’s arm and pulled him along to the wolves’ table; “You have lost your red tag, Jensen. You might tell Jared, that whatever is going on, he has my support.”

At the table Jensen was flummoxed by the seating arrangements. He stared at the cushion he had occupied at previous meals until David pulled out the chair Jared had taken and motioned for him to take it. Jensen hesitated. 

“Oh for the love of the Gods, sit down,” Joseph called from across the table, “Jensen you are the only Padalecki here. You assume the role of proxy-Pack Vixen, and will not sit on the floor.”

Jensen jumped into the seat at the order and sat ramrod straight as a waitress handed him a menu. Using the menu to hide his face, he sneaked a look around the room, to check if anyone looked outraged at an omega-mate sitting in his alpha’s place. The only reaction he saw was a grin from Daniel and huge thumbs up from Richard at the urban delegate table.

Taking pleasure in eating his eggs Florentine with cutlery, buttering his toasted cinnamon bagel, and stirring his own sugar into his latte, Jensen relaxed as he listened to David telling anecdotes about Jared disrupting lessons in the ST House.

After the meal everyone headed back to their rooms to prepare for checkout.

Ty and Amy grabbed him as he tried to leave and offered the services of their pack doctor if Jared needed it. Jensen refused but thanked them. Ty started some kind of speech about old friends and new until Amy poked him in the ribs saying that Jensen needed to get back to his mate.

He had almost made it to the lobby when Alona and Richard came towards him. He stopped, hoping to get this over with as fast as possible. Alona looked at his tagless collar and then surprised him by pulling him in for a tight hug. Holding his body out from hers with her hands, she smiled, “Jenny-baby, you know if you and your alpha ever want to return to Rock Hill for a vacation, you will be welcome in our home.”

Jensen stepped back from her hold, “Thank you Alpha-Alona, I don’t expect I will ever go back but I appreciate your offer.”

“You never know, Jenny, one day you might want to show your kits where you grew up.” She turned to go and Richard grasped his hand briefly in farewell.

Jensen made his way across to the reception desk. As he waited for the receptionist to finish her phone call, he was approached by two jackal alphas. “Second-mate of the Padalecki, I apologise for approaching you at this time. Can you let your alpha know that the Anubis will bring the Queen and two advisors to the cabinet meeting on your territory?”

“Certainly” Jensen assented and the jackals bowed their heads as they moved away. That was weird. He was being treated like a delegate, like a proxy-alpha or pack vixen. He felt a sense of pride. It felt rewarding to be doing this for his alpha.

The receptionist turned her attention to him. She looked at his collar and then all around him for an alpha. After a pause she asked, “Can I help you? Have you lost your alpha?”

Jensen felt a pang of anxiety about how Jared was coping in the hotel room. “No. Thank you. I need an outside line please.”

The poor beta looked torn between calling for a manager and refusing to assist him, but she picked up a cordless phone and dialled. 

Jensen had no problem getting through to Misha.

“Mish?”

“Jen? That you? Everything finished up there? Are you waiting for your chauffeur, monsieur omega-pants?”

“Misha. I don’t have time to catch you up now. Has Matt been called to the home den?”

“No. Why would he?”

“So as far as you know, Sebastian has not gone into labour or had a problem?”

“Jen, are you alright? You sound awful.” Misha’s voice had lost all its teasing tones, “Sebastian had three healthy kits the evening you left. Matt was at the den when you rang the last time. I was not supposed to tell you. It is meant to be a surprise for Mark when you get home.”

“Good... mmm. I’m... Good, that is good news, Mish.”

“Jensen, what is going on?”

“Can’t talk. Gotta go.”

Jensen handed the phone back and went straight to the hotel room. He knocked before entering not wanting to startle Jared. 

He was surprised to see his alpha showered, shaved and dressed. Jared had packed their bags and sat them on the end of the bed. The breakfast was untouched and Jared was standing at the long window behind the television. Jensen came up behind him and curved his arm around his chest, leaning his head into the back of his mate’s shoulder.

They stayed like that, until Jared’s attention was pulled by a long line of cars arriving to collect the departing pack representatives. He turned around and pulled Jensen in for a deep searching kiss. When they broke apart, he laid his hand on Jensen’s cheek saying, “You are too good for me Jen.”

Jensen’s response was halted by a knock on the door.

“Enter” Jared called.

Jim Beaver stuck his head around the door. “Car is here. Ready? You idjits have any bottles in that mini-bar contraption? Mine is dry and we need some liquor for the journey.”

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Jared asked the driver to stop in front of the pack notary’s office in the town. They were they first words he had spoken in hours. They dropped their luggage with the surprised secretary to be collected by the next pack member on a supply run. Jensen had hoped that they would be able to pop into the medical clinic to see Misha but Jared was anxious to get back to the pack.

As they ran through the woods, Jensen bumped his fox form off his mate’s playfully, showing his support and affection. It felt good to run through the trees with his mate, his pre-heat was coiling in his belly, the burn in his muscles pushed aside any thoughts of what would happen when they reached the home den.

Too soon they were exiting the trees, spooking the goats, and crossing the stream above the lake. The other foxes were sending welcome home messages via the fox mind. When Jared veered sharply up the path to their den, Jensen was wrong footed expecting to make for the central communal area. He righted himself and scrambled up after Jared, in time to see the brush of his mate’s tail disappearing into the den. 

Jensen shifted and started a fire in the pit, giving Jared some space. He was adding some larger twigs to the growing blaze when Gerald stepped out from the between the trees.

Jensen knelt in front of the pack alpha. 

“Jared-mate, I would like to speak with my son.”

Jensen stood and walked to the den entrance, “Of course, alpha, I will get him. Will you come and wait in the den?”

Gerald followed him to the welcoming vestibule.

“Please make yourself comfortable, alpha, I apologise that we have no refreshment to offer you.”

“That is not a problem, Jensen, Please get Jared.”

Jensen entered the nest. Jared had shifted back to human and was leaning against the wall.

“Your father is in the visiting room.”

“I know.”

“Are you coming to greet him?”

Jared pulled himself upright, threw on a part of loose cotton trousers and took Jensen’s proffered hand. They linked fingers as they went to face the pack alpha.

As they entered the small room, Gerald stood and clapped Jared on the back. “Well done Son.”

Jared was speechless.

“Cat got your tongue, Jared?” Gerald’s laugh boomed like Jared’s often did, “Mark beat you home by several hours. Doc Cohen let him know the good news of the safe delivery of his three kits. He was bursting to share the news of your triumph at the conference with the rest of the pack. Now, Jared-son, no need to look like you are sucking lemons. I’m sure Mark didn’t intend to steal your thunder. I am so proud of you. My son, elected to the council, gaining the pack the honour of hosting the first meeting of the new committee. We will celebrate our blessings tonight with Council Member Jared and new father Mark as guests of honour.”

Jared returned his father’s grin with a faint smile, “Thank you, Pack Alpha, Jensen and I will be happy to attend.”

“You are a good son, Jared, enhancing the reputation of the pack.”

Gerald gave Jared a quick rub on the head as he exited the den.

Jared ran his hand through his hair, fixing it. “I guess everything is back to normal and to be swept under the carpet.”

Jensen took his mate’s hand in his again, “But is that what you want Jared-mate? You have to work with Mark every day.”

“I can do it, Jen. I’ve covered it for 17 years. I’m a frigging expert. Can you to it? Will you have my back?”

“Always.” Jensen said but he wasn’t sure that Jared was thinking straight.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

The meal went more smoothly than Jensen had thought possible. Mark stayed at the opposite end of the table. Jared and Mark avoided each other like pros for the evening. Later in the proceedings after many of the pack had moved to the cabin, Sebastian appeared from the den with three tiny kits who had already shifted once and returned to fox form, much to their omega-mother’s pride. Sebastian was pale and unsteady as Colin and Bradley eased him into a seat by the fire. Katie told Jensen that Sebastian had gone through a difficult delivery and Matt had recommended some days of bed rest and TLC. 

During the evening Jensen’s tagless collar had got several looks, but it was Colin and Bradley who caught him in a spinning dance and drew him over to the fire. 

“Where is the tag?” Bradley asked baldly.

“I lost it” Jensen explained.

“Come on Jensen, there is a story here. Tell us, or we will set Misha on you.” Colin threatened and punched him in arm.

“Ouch! Colin! I think I want my tag back.” Jensen rubbed his arm and pulled away from the boys to squat next to Sebastian who had moved to the rug in front of the fire letting the little kits snuggle on his lap.

“Hey Sebastian, they are beautiful.”

“Hey Jen darling, they damn near killed me” Sebastian’s voice was weak but he gave a smile that crinkled around his eyes as he stroked the top of one of the tiny one’s heads with his pinkie finger.

“May I?” Jensen reached over a hand.

Sebastian passed a kit to Jensen. 

“This is my son. Son this is Jensen, he’ll be your Pack Vixen when you grow up.” Sebastian said to the little ball of red fluff.

Jensen held the baby to his chest, so warm and soft, smelling of milk and sweetness. He was a few days from his heat yet but his mind was rolling with the need for Jared to fill him up and breed him. He looked over at his alpha, whose arms were flailing as he explained something to Sherry. He looked back down at the infant fox and sighed in disbelief that this little innocent life had such a monster for a father. He saw Mark coming from the corner of his vision and handed the kit back to Sebastian. He went to try and extract Jared from his mother. Sherry had Jared cornered and as Jensen approached he could hear her berating him for not searching for a beta-mate at the conference. Jared was trying to deflect her by giving her news from the Lincoln den, her birth pack. When she saw Jensen behind her she moved away to talk to Amber.

Jensen put his hands on Jared’s hips and pushed in against him, grinding up and sighing at the relief.

“Hey Jen, needy much?” Jared scented his mate’s neck, “You going into heat Jen?”

“Not yet. Soon, mate. Need you.”

“OK, I got the message. Let’s go home.”

The pack gave them indulgent looks as Jensen draped himself around his alpha and Jared practically dragged him out of the cabin.

Jared laid Jensen on their nesting blankets and ran a row of kisses above his collar as Jensen tilted his head back. “So good for me, Jen, my mate.”

“Are you sure, you want to Jare, I don’t need, not in heat yet.” 

“Mate, so good, mine.” Gods, Jared was gone. Jensen got with the program, wrapping his arms around Jared’s neck and his legs around his waist.

Jared was rock hard and Jensen wasn’t far behind him. Jared pushed his hand in between their torsos and jacked Jensen hard. Jensen’s head fell back as he lost himself in the motions. 

Jared pushed home, “So hot, so tight, and so wet for me. Only for me, Jen, Mine, My Jen, Fuck.” Jared was coming already, the knot only starting to swell and he was filling Jensen up with his come. Then Jensen couldn’t hold back “Please, please alpha, gods, yours, yours, I’m going to come.”

“Come for me, Jen, good mate, my omega.” 

Jensen collapsed into Jared, his come smearing their bellies. Jared pulled out gently and settled Jensen on his side. As Jared lay against his back spooning his mate, Jensen murmured, “You didn’t knot.”

“Its fine, Jen, plenty of time for that with your heat coming,” Jared whispered into the back of his mates neck, and he nuzzled at the mating mark until they both drifted into sleep.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Jensen was warming the basin of water for their morning wash when Christopher burst through the trees. “Intruders crossing the border! Get Jared!” 

Jared sprang out of the den in fox form and took off downhill after the other alpha. 

Jensen put the bowl aside and followed in their wake. By the time he reached the lake shore, many other foxes had risen and were making their way to the field as they sensed strange foxes on their lands.

Jared, Christopher and Oliver were making a unified front at the greeting post.

Jensen saw a dark haired slim fox and a curvy blond vixen with a heart shaped face break through the tree line, They were supporting a tall lean teenage boy between them. He noticed the muscles in Jared’s legs twitching as if he was trying to stop himself from running towards the newcomers. Jensen walked up to stand behind his mate and put his hand on the back of Jared’s shoulder. Jared turned his head and whispered “Ian.” Jensen felt tears welling up inside him at the joy Jared put into that one word.

Gerald and Sherry made their way to the marker as the trio reached the stone.

“Who dares cross the Padalecki Border?”

“I, Ian Fell, son of Titus Fell, former Second of Mid-Eastern Seaboard State Transition House, former envoy of the Wild Were Council, currently of no pack, do seek refuge, solace and home for myself, my beta-mate, Candice of the Accola, and our companion, Alexander Star.”

Gerald smiled at Ian, “It is good to see you again boy. You had my son worried. Ian of the Fell, will you swear to uphold and protect the honour and the lives of all Padalecki. Will you accept my word as law as your Pack Alpha?”

Ian knelt in front of Gerald. “I will.”

Gerald laid a hand on Ian‘s head and welcomed him to the pack.

Ian guided Candice to kneel in front of the Pack Alpha and Gerald asked her the binding question.

“I will. I am happy to belong to pack.” Once Gerald had patted her head she stood and hugged Ian.

Before Gerald had finished asking Alexander the question, the young alpha had collapsed back on his haunches and Jensen thought he might be having a panic attack. The boy looked behind Gerald and met Jared’s concerned eyes. Jared nodded, and Alexander agreed to join the pack. He bent his head low to the ground when Gerald laid his hand on him. Gerald bent down to the boy’s level and helped him to stand, “Welcome to your new home, son.”

Jared burst forward and gripped Ian tight lifting him off the ground and swinging him around. He whooped “You made it. You got here.”

“I did, now let me down you overgrown moose.” Ian smirked at his friend. Jared finally put Ian back on his feet. Candice came over and Ian introduced her to Jared. Jared pulled Jensen over to introduce him to Ian and Candice. 

When Candice went over to join Alexander who was talking to Sherry, Jared leaned into Ian and said, “Snagged yourself a peach, you hound dog.”

Ian slapped Jared’s chest with the back of his hand, “I’m lucky to have found her, but you are the one with the true mating, you sly fox.”

“The mating is true enough for you that you got her to come with you.”

Ian laughed, “It was her father who took persuading. I had to make Amed Accola a faithful promise that Candice will always have my love and respect, even if I one day find the true omega mate I set out to quest. What about you Jay? Have you truly found what you hoped when you set out?”

“He is everything, Ian, everything and more.” Jared linked an arm into Jensen’s and kissed his forehead.

Gerald called everyone to the long table for breakfast and told Allyson to get the pack members who had yet to meet the new foxes. Sherry asked Jensen to go to the omega den and collect Colin, Bradley and Sebastian. Jensen wondered why Sebastian wasn’t in his own den, and Sherry told him that the kits had been keeping Mark awake so he had sent his mate and kits to the omega den so he could get some rest. 

When he got to the nest in the omega den, they were all dozing. Jensen thought that Sebastian didn’t look so good and told him to stay put and they would bring him back a tray. Jensen brought Colin with him, leaving Bradley to follow once he had helped settle the kits back to sleep.

Colin was delighted to see Ian, who introduced Candice and Alexander. Colin went to sit with Stephen and Felix and wait for Bradley.   
Alexander was seated beside Jared in Mark’s usual place. As Jensen knelt beside his mate he heard Alexander talking across to Sherry complementing her on the freshly baked bread.

“Well Alpha-Alexander, I can’t take all the credit, Amber is the baker in the pack. Did you have a baker in your old pack?”

“Honestly, Pack Vixen, I do not know much about pack life. I have lived in the System for the last ten years. I have few memories of my birth pack.” Alexander answered tearing a piece of roll off with his teeth.

Sherry smiled at the young alpha, “How old are you now dear?”

Alexander returned her smile, “I’m 16, Vixen.”

“Call me Sherry, dear, you are home now.”

“Thanks Sherry, You have a beautiful home den. The hills and the lake are so scenic. Everyone has been so welcoming to us. There is a wonderful scent in the air, like chocolate and fresh oranges.”

Jared’s head snapped around to look at Alexander and Sherry said “Alexander? Do you smell chocolate and oranges?”

Alexander didn’t answer. He had stood up and turned his back to the table, scenting the air. 

Bradley came to a running stop at the bottom of the path. He lifted his face as if he could scent it too. Then the omega dropped to his knees and crawled the final few feet to Alexander, his eyes transfixed on the alpha. “My alpha, my alpha” he chanted. Then he nuzzled his face into Alexander’s crotch, while Alexander put his hand on the back of Bradley’s neck and moaned “Mate.” 

Alexander had started pulling off his clothes by the time Gerald reacted and came around the table to stand in front of the boys. “We don’t do public claiming here. Jared, take your baby-alpha to the old cabin. Stephen, come over here with me and we’ll get your son into private with his mate.”

Jared half-pulled half-carried Alexander, who wouldn’t let go of Bradley’s arm, while Gerald and Stephen carried Bradley.

Jensen watched as the beta-mates ran to their dens and returned with blankets and cushions, which they passed into the old cabin. Gerald shut the door behind him, leaving Alexander and Bradley alone. Jared escorted a stunned Stephen back to the table congratulating him on his son’s mating.

Colin dived down to flop on the ground beside Jensen. “He is gone, Jen. My best friend. I’ve lost him.”

Jensen put an arm around the other omega’s shoulders. “Not gone, Colin. He could have mated to another pack and you might never have seen him again. Bradley isn’t going anywhere, Alexander is pack.”

“You don’t know, Jen.” Colin sounded so mournful, Jensen pulled him over so they were both leaning against the bench where Jared sat. “He’ll change, Jen. He’ll want to spend all his time with his alpha. What if? Oh Gods, what if Alexander gives him a blue tag? I’ll never get to speak with him again.”

“Shush Colin. Wait and see. I bet you Bradley will be up to the omega den by the end of the week regaling you with all the gory details of his mating.”

Jared took his seat again, turning a blind eye to having two intertwined omegas beside him.

Gerald called for attention. “Another eventful day for our pack.” He beamed at everyone. “Yesterday we welcomed home our Wild Were Council Member, Jared, and new father Mark. Today we welcome three new pack members and celebrate a true mating.” He paused as a loud moan came from the cabin. The foxes laughed. Gerald continued, “I think it is time to break up the meal. Ian and Candice you may set up a temporary home in the new cabin. I will hold a meeting of Alphas, and James and Tony, after midday meal. Alexander is excused.” 

More laughter echoed as they stood to depart. 

Jensen spent the morning in the omega den, consoling Colin and filling Sebastian in on all the news. Jared had gone on morning patrol with Oliver as usual.

That afternoon Jensen was sorting through the pre-school reading material under the canopy, deciding where to take the lessons when he restarted them the next day. He noticed Jared and Ian walking back from the lake. Jared seemed agitated and Ian kept shooting concerned glances at him. Jensen tidied away the teaching materials and went to ask Jared if he would like to return to their den for a wash and shave, having missed their morning routine.

Jared lay quiet and still as Jensen shaved him on their nest blankets. Jensen got rid of the waste water. When he returned Jared was in the same position staring at the ceiling. Bending to plant a few quick kisses on his mate’s cheekbones and a nipping bite to the tip of his nose, Jensen asked, “Jared-mate, what has happened?”

“My father announced at the pack meeting that he is giving Felix to Mark for training!” Jared leapt from the blankets and started pacing back and forth.

“Will you tell your parents about Mark?”

“What? Tell them. Jen, they know. They must know. They gave me to him. They have probably always known.”

Jensen was not sure that Jared was right in making this assumption. “Jared, you are Second, can’t you ask your father to change his decision?”

“If I force my Father to change his mind in front of the pack, then I have defied him. It is a challenge to his decision and his authority as Pack Alpha.”

“Can you not talk to him in private?”

“I tried.” Jared shouted, “I asked him to reconsider. That Mark is not suitable. He wouldn’t let me explain and said that if I had not been elected to the council he would have chosen me to train Felix. I offered to give up the council seat. He was outraged and basically threw me and Ian out of his den.”

“Jared, do you think Felix is in danger?”

“I don’t know. I can’t risk it, but if I question the Pack Alpha and he refuses to accept my challenge, we will be exiled. If he does change his decision, then he is shamed and will stand down. Mark will challenge me for Pack Alpha. What if he wins? What would we do even if I survived the fight.”

“But, Jare, if the pack supports you, can’t you avoid a fight?”

“Jen, Wild Pack Rules, a unanimous choice or a battle between the contenders. Tony and James will support Mark. I don’t know where Samantha or Christopher’s support falls. Oliver and Stephen will back me. Sherry would back Mark. There would be a fight to the death.” Jared had kept pacing the small room, “Maybe it was just me, you know, something about me that made Mark act the way he did. He was convinced I was his mate. Mark had trained other alphas before me. Felix might be safe. But if I do nothing and Felix suffers, I don’t know if I could live with myself.”

“What are you going to do, Jay?”

“I don’t know. I will sleep on it and keep an eye on things.”

“I think you should consider telling your parents in private.”

“No Jen, I’ve told you there is no point.”

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Evening approached and Jared’s mind was a ball of anxiety. His chest ached with sour bile. Why would his father not listen to his suggestions about Felix’s trainer?

Jared was sure that the tension between himself and the bastard Mark must be visible to the whole pack. He could smell the putrid stink of rotting rubbish and stagnant water every time he got within a few feet of the fucking bastard who had dared lay a hand on his Jensen. The only one who seemed to notice was Ian, who knew everything. Ian had even gone with him to his father when he attempted to persuade him that Felix would be better off being trained by himself or Ian. His father wouldn’t listen to them. Jensen wanted him to try again but it was useless. 

He had fought his way home, found his true mate, been accepted by the were community and then the fucking prick turned around and ruined everything again. He couldn’t understand how is father thought Mark was such a paragon of alpha-hood, the unfeeling dick had even kicked his sick mate out of the den so he could get some sleep. It was Sherry’s role to intervene in such things, but she didn’t care where Sebastian slept as long as there were three more healthy kits in her pack.

Jared had given Jensen a bowl of that evening’s stew to take to the omega den for Sebastian, so he was surprised to see his mate waiting for him by dining table bench. Colin was tucked under the table like a lost lamb.

Shoving aside his own worries, Jared snorted down at the teenager, “Hey Colin, I am going to have to grow an extra arm if I am expected to feed two omegas at every meal.” 

“I’m sorry, cousin-Jared, I can go and sit in my usual spot but Bradley would be, should be next to me...” the boy’s voice broke and he dropped his head to the ground.

“Stay there, pet, I don’t mind.” Jared gestured to Rosie for another portion of stew and passed his own bowl and spoon down to Colin, who scooted further under the table.

Jared was concentrating on not letting any of the stew spill over the spoon as he tipped it into Jensen’s mouth, so he almost missed the incident. 

Felix arrived late at the table with Mark following behind him. Mark guided Felix to the point on the bench where Sebastian normal knelt. Felix sat and waved down at this father and grandmother. 

Then Mark rubbed the top of Felix’s head letting his hand drift down to lightly cup the back of Felix’s neck, in a gesture that lingered there for a moment too long, too intimate.

Wrong.

Jared exploded. He ran at Mark, snarling and striking with a right hook. He threw Mark to the ground landing a body blow that knocked the wind out of the older alpha.

Next thing Gerald and James were dragging a spitting Jared back. Tony helped Mark to his feet and held him back. 

Jared looked at Jensen, who was struggling against Oliver and Ian, trying to come to him. Colin had gone to Felix who was looking at sea.

“What was that about?” Gerald roared.

Jared and Mark didn’t say a word.

“Son, why did you assault Mark? Mark, what is going on?” There was no response. “Jared, as your pack alpha, I command you to tell me why you attacked the pack Third.”

“Please Father, not here.” His father was going to make him speak in front of the whole pack.

“No Jared. Tell me now.”

Jared took a breath. He looked at Ian, who nodded. He caught his mate’s green eyes, which were welling with tears. “Mark was inappropriately touching Felix.”

“I was not,” Mark shouted. He spread his palms open to Gerald. “I was only being affectionate to the boy, ask him. You take back that disgusting accusation, Jared. It was your filthy mind seeing something that wasn’t there.”

A red mist descended over Jared’s vision and he struggled against James’s hold, “How dare you? How dare you call me filthy, you fucking pervert.”

“Jared!” Ian called.

Jared couldn’t hear his friend and continued, “You are the dirty filthy one. I will not let you turn Felix into your latest fuck toy.”

Gerald put his hand on Jared’s chest. “These are serious accusations. Rosie, Amber, Katie take the kits back to their dens. Colin off to the omega den, now. Jared, what evidence do you have?”

Jared tried to read his father’s expression but he had his full Pack Alpha game face on. 

“Please Father, I can’t tell you”

“Jared, you cannot make such a charge and walk away. Mark will be entitled to ask for recompense.”

“Please,” Jared begged but he knew he was going to have to answer. He looked at his mother with her arms folded, at Jensen who had buried his face in Oliver’s chest, at Felix who was standing in front of Stephen, at Ian who met his eyes and mouthed the word ‘Tell’.

Gerald spoke, “I demand your evidence.”

“Me.” Jared’s voice broke. “I’m the evidence. Mark took me when I was younger than Felix. Please, please Father, don’t make me say anymore.”

Gerald looked at Jared. He looked shocked, and Jared held his breath waiting for the verbal assault from his father. 

There was almost complete silence.

The Pack Alpha dropped to his knees in front of his son, “Oh my boy, my kit, my beautiful boy, Oh Gods protect us, Tell me that is not true.”

Jared looked down on his father in horror. His father hadn’t known. “I’m not lying.”

“No Jared. I believe you. Oh Gods, how did that happen to you, in my pack, on my watch, my only kit.”

Jared couldn’t stand to see his father so broken and he also knelt down in front of him. 

Gerald pulled Jared into a hug, “I’m so sorry my boy, my Jared. All your life here growing up, I thought you were happy. I never stopped to check, to look. When you left I didn’t stop to look for you either, didn’t try and find out what had happened to you. I have failed you, my son.”

Jared tried to offer comfort “Father, I am here now. I survived. I want to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

Gerald pulled back and stood up facing the pack. He spotted his vixen, “Sherry-mate, did you ever suspect?”

Sherry said nothing.

“Sherry?” Gerald growled.

There was no answer and Jared’s heart sank. It was too much to hope that his mother had been ignorant of his years of abuse.

“Sherry Padalecki, as your alpha-mate and your Pack Alpha, I command you to answer me.”

Sherry walked up to Gerald, “You know, Gerald-mate, when we finally had him after all our years of trying for a kit, I thought our family-life would begin. You would see me and our son and put us above all else. We would be at the core of your life, not the pack.”

“Sherry,” Gerald growled, “What has this got to do with my question?”

“He wouldn’t shift to fox and you withdrew back into pack business. I had to birth and suckle a freak in human form. My sisters visited and wouldn’t touch the Normal. The only Normal ever born to a Lincoln. You wouldn’t give him to Cissy to wet nurse with Oliver because I was Pack Vixen. My father wanted him euthanized but you wouldn’t agree. There was no way a Normal would rule a pack and no more kits were possible.”

“Sherry-mate, what is the point of this? You know Jared shifted at three months.”

“I knew something was wrong with him. He was a poor substitute for the son I should have had. I knew he would be omega. He was nine when Mark came to me. He asked if I wanted him to check Jared’s omega response levels. I agreed. I was anxious to have confirmation. I brought him to Mark’s den and when I collected him later, Mark said that Jared had been too young to be certain but that he was definitely omega or beta, that he had clenched during the finger test.”

“By the gods, Sherry, who are you?” Gerald gasped and staggered back from his mate.

“You hadn’t a clue. I had to ensure our line inherited the pack. Mark told me that he would mate Jared, even if he was beta. When the time came for you to retire or you passed, I would back Mark for Pack Alpha. I made sure that Mark had bonding time with Jared. I couldn’t fathom it when Jared knotted. It was impossible. I thought he must be one of those freaks trapped in the wrong body. All Mark’s and my plans were out the window. I concentrated on finding a strong beta mate for Jared, who would inherit the mantle of Pack Vixen.”

Gerald stepped forward to face Sherry and Jared thought he was going to hit her, “You never told me any of this. I gave my son to Mark, handed him to Mark on a plate, to train him in the alpha-way.” 

He turned to Jared, “Son, I didn’t know.” Jared looked from his father to his mother, from a face wracked with guilt and sorrow to one still full of defiance and pride.

Gerald called, “Bring Mark Star to me.”

Tony and Christopher dragged Mark up and forced him to kneel in front of the Pack Alpha.

“Mark Star, I find that you are guilty of perversion and assault on the son of the alpha. I sentence you to death by tooth and claw. Take him to the abandoned den and post a guard.”

Jared watched them dragging Mark away. He couldn’t believe that his father had taken his word. He hadn’t even asked Mark if he had an excuse or an explanation. He had known that Jared was telling the truth.

Gerald approached Jared and dropped to his knees. “I, Gerald Padalecki, former Pack Alpha, father of Jared and son of Devon, do accept your word as law as my Pack Alpha.”

Jared moved his hand in a trancelike motion and placed it on the top of his father’s head. 

Gerald stayed on his knees as he pleaded, “I beg my Pack Alpha Jared, to allow me the boon of carrying out the sentence of execution. I plead with him for mercy on his parents and for mercy on Sebastian.”

Jared drew himself up to full height, inhaled deeply, and regarded the shocked faces of his pack, “I grant your boon, Gerald. My Pack Vixen, Jensen, will you please go to the omega den and check on Sebastian? Tony go to the town and get Dr Cohen, tell him we need him to save a widowed omega’s life and get Blacksmith Sheppard up here to sort out Bradley for Alexander. I want a volunteer to sit with Mark for the night. Gerald will carry out the sentence at dawn. When Jensen returns, we will receive each of your vows to serve the pack under our rule.”


	9. Chapter Nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH
> 
> AND
> 
> SADNESS

The Pack gathered on the field as the sun set and the first tendrils of night darkened the sky.

Only Sebastian and his kits, Alexander, Bradley, Mark, and Ian, who was guarding Mark, were absent.

All the foxes were on the outer side of the greeting stone, except for Pack Alpha Jared, Pack Vixen Jensen, and Gerald who had already vowed to accept Jared’s rule.

Jensen waited. He was concentrating on breathing, still numbed, stunned, by the change in the pack. Jared had an aura of authority about him, but underneath sneaking through their mating bond were hints of the turmoil of Jared’s repressed emotions from the earlier events. 

Jensen watched as Jared drew himself up to his full height. “Packmates, I am honoured to stand here as Pack Alpha. I wish the circumstances were different but I swear to each and every one of you that I will protect and serve you with every fibre of my being. If anyone in attendance does not wish to live under my rule, you will have a day to leave the den.” 

There was a pause for anyone to speak up but none of the pack moved.

“My Vixen and I will grant all requests to live in our pack.” Jared smiled at his pack-family and took Jensen’s hand for a quick squeeze. He whispered to Jensen, “OK, Jen, you just need to give your silent acceptance, do what I do.”

Oliver and Katie, carrying their infant twins, were the first to approach the stone. Jared placed a hand on each of their heads and Jensen followed his mate’s lead. Oliver gave Jared a tight smile and said low so they only they could hear, “You can do this, Jared.”

There was something more profound exchanged by the simple gesture, something pack.

As the family walked towards the den, Jensen knew that Katie was anxious and one of the kits had a tummy bug. He could feel the fox mind in a much more tangible way.

Felix was next, and Jared rubbed his hair affectionately before lifting his hand away. Stephen followed. When he stood back up he grasped Jared’s hands and thanked him profusely, as his gaze followed his son’s progress back across the stream.

Then there was a steady line of foxes. Jensen was overwhelmed with sensations emanating from the betas and kits. Was this part of being Pack Vixen, caring for the pack? Was it because he was an omega Pack Vixen? He wished Sherry wasn’t such an evil bitch and there was someone he could ask about this. Maybe he could get Misha to find out if there was a way to contact Daniel Wolf. 

After Colin moved back across the stream, only James, Allyson and their kits remained. Jensen could already sense vague reluctance in James. The fox had been close to Mark. He could feel Allyson’s optimism as she knelt guiding Jack and Ashley to kneel with her. Jared accepted each of the family. 

“But Momma, why is teacher and his alpha getting us to play this stooopid game?” Jack protested as Jared ruffled his hair.

The foxes still in earshot laughed at the young kit.

Allyson looked mortified, “Jack. Ashley. Jared is now your Pack Alpha. You will obey him and Vixen-Jensen is all things.”

Ashley raised her hand as if she was in class.

“Yes Ashley?” Jensen smiled at the little girl.

“What about Auntie Sherry?”

Jared knelt down in front of her, “Sherry and Gerald will still be here. But they are retired now. They want to have a quiet life. If you have any problems you come to Jensen now and leave Sherry alone, OK Ashley?”

The little kit nodded and put her thumb in her mouth. When Jensen put his hand on her head, she beckoned him down and whispered in his ear, “I love you, Teacher, you are nice.” Then she reached her hand up to hold his. Allyson tried to prise her away but in the end Jensen gave in and carried her as they all walked back to the den.

Jensen passed Ashley over to James when they reached the new cabin, as Jared wanted to finish the formal Pack Alpha investiture.

They went to the Tony and Amber’s old den, where Ian was sitting over the fire pit. Ian joked that he never thought he would go from being pack-less to gaining two new Pack Alphas in one day. Jensen looked up to see Mark standing in the den entrance. Jared met the condemned alpha’s gaze. 

“I always loved you Jared.” Mark said.

Jared remained silent and staring, until Mark broke eye contact and retreated into the den.

Jared gave a cleansing huff down his nose and shook himself as if he was in fox form and had just been for a dip in the lake. Saluting Ian, they departed for their next destination.

Next stop was the old cabin. Jensen was as nervous as Jared when they knocked at the door. 

Gods, Jensen thought, don’t let them be incoherent, naked and knotted. There was no answer. Jared pushed the door open. The evening’s half light made it dark in the cabin. Alexander and Bradley were naked but thankfully tangled up in blankets asleep. Jared moved to the right, next to the alpha, while Jensen crouched down next to Bradley on the left. Jensen noticed that Alexander had sucked marks all over his omega’s neck and chest and that the claiming bite was rather dramatic and he wondered if the doctor might need to have a look at it. 

Jared shook Alexander awake, while Jensen pushed Bradley’s hair back off his clammy forehead to wake him gently.

“Alpha?” Alexander raised his eyebrows in confusion.

“Sorry to disrupt your mating time, Alexander. There has been a change in the pack.”

“I know. I can feel it.” Alexander beamed, “You are my Pack Alpha now.”

“I am.” Jared laid his hand on Alexander’s blond hair. “We will leave you and Bradley alone. Come out only when you are ready.”

Jensen reached over and Alexander bent his head slightly so that Jensen could lay his hand on.

“Alexander, I need to receive Bradley, is that alright?” Jared asked.

“Of course, Alpha.” Alexander agreed as he helped Bradley up into a sitting position.

Bradley welled up when Jensen rested his hand on his skull, “My Alpha-mate and you as my Pack Vixen, all in one day. I’m sorry, I’m a weepy omega.”

“Shush Bradley, It’s fine. I’m a bit weepy myself. See you later.” Jensen consoled the young omega.

As they left the cabin and headed for the omega den, Jared mused “They are so young, Jen. Barely mature and mated. They will need to be strong for each other.”

When they reached the omega den, Jensen paused pushing his awareness into the den. He stiffened and Jared noticed asking “What is it Jen?”

“Colin isn’t there. He should have returned to sit with Sebastian. I’ll go in and see what the story is.”

Jensen made to go into the den but Sebastian appeared at the entrance carrying the kits in Katie’s old pouch. His skin was grey and his eyes red rimmed as he knelt just outside the entrance, “Pack Alpha. Pack Vixen,” He stuttered as he fixed his gaze on the ground.

Jared took a step to stand next to Jensen and pat Sebastian on the head. “Sebastian, where’s Colin?”

“I sent him away, Alpha-Jared. I can’t make him watch.”

“Watch what?” Jensen asked as his hand replaced Jared’s and he stroked his fingers through the other omega’s short curls, trying to offer comfort. Sebastian’s emotions were a mess of fear, sorrow, grief and loss.

“By this time tomorrow I’ll be dead. I can’t let Colin live through that again.” Sebastian swallowed as if his mark was already hardening and restricting his throat, “Will you promise me that you will raise my kits? Take care of them? And will you write to my Maman and tell her I’m sorry and...”

Jared stopped Sebastian raising his palm to halt his words. “I am not going to let you die. Tony has already arranged for Dr Matt to be here in the morning. You listen to me, we will fix this. You will be here to raise your kits. You understand me?”

“Yes, alpha, but if I’m not....”

“No, Sebastian. Don’t even entertain the idea. Will you be alright without Colin? Do you want to go back to your old den and I can have Katie or Rosie sit with you?”

“No Alpha, I can’t go back there. Please.” He pleaded brokenly, “I’ll stay here with the kits.”

Jared agreed. Jensen grasped Sebastian’s hand and promised to come to him before dawn to make sure he was OK.

“I wish we didn’t have to go back to all the foxes at the cabin, Jen. The pack will expect us to join them. I’d much prefer to take you and knot you hard bringing on that heat you are teasing me with.”

“Me too, mate.” Jensen sighed as they went to do their pack duty. He was in awe of how well Jared was dealing with his sudden elevation to Pack Alpha. He knew his mate had pushed down all his pain and grief at what had happened. He didn’t want to think about the horrific scene between Jared and his parents that had played out in front of everyone, and he guessed Jared didn’t want to think of it either. He steeled himself and grasped Jared’s arm as they entered the cabin to join the muted celebrations.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

 

“Alpha, Alpha.” Emma called into the den. “Dad sent me to wake you and Jensen. It’s an hour before dawn. Alpha?”

Jared barked back a good morning, while Jensen rolled over on his back, sleepily baring his belly to his alpha. The heat wasn’t far away now. He lazily opened his eyes and pushed out into the fox mind, instinct prompting him to check his pack’s kits. 

Something was wrong. Something was very very wrong. 

He sprang out of the bed, his nose scenting the air, and his brush quivering with tension.

Jared shifted and stared at his mate, “What is it Jen? Can you shift for me?”

Jensen changed form but remained stiff and tense. “Something is wrong in the pack. Can you sense it?”

He didn’t wait for Jared to answer and began pulling on his pants and canvas top. 

“I’ll check on Mark.” Jared said and he disappeared out of the nest.

Jensen closed his eyes and tried to find the source of his unease. He didn’t know how to control this psychic crap. 

Betas? Shifts of anxiety and worry, only to be expected with all that was happening. 

Omegas – easier to sense them individually, Colin’s presence was subtle and still, must be asleep - sexknotbitematehardermoregood, Okaaay, T-M-I, Bradley was fine then. Sebastian – pain. Oh, Shit crap. Jensen bolted for the omega den.

It was still dark and a mist was falling, but the den was only just above his own and Jensen was surefooted as he tore up the slope. 

The fire pit was out making it pitch black at the den. The drifting mist had masked the smell until Jensen got close. Burning. Skin. Oh Gods, the fire was covered by Sebastian spread over the pit. His back was soaked, he had been there a while. Jensen felt for a pulse, there was one but it was faint. He dragged the other fox out of the embers. He had been lying with his face on his arms which were a blackened burning mess. One side of his upper face was raw and his breath was shallow. 

“Sebastian can you hear me? Come back to us. I have you now. Sebastian?”

There was a flutter of eyelids and an almost inaudible, “Jen?”

“Yes. It’s okay, Sebastian, It will be OK. What happened to you?”

“Couldn’t Jen, sorry, couldn’t die slowly, no air, can’t face it, couldn’t...” Sebastian drifted back into unconsciousness.

Jensen needed to pull himself together now and act for Sebastian. What kind of Pack Vixen was he that he let this happen on his first night, going off to be knotted by his alpha and leaving Sebastian alone, when he knew that the omega was staring his own death in the face, leaving him so distraught that he preferred to throw himself on the fire? 

There was no time for guilt now. He slammed into Colin’s consciousness with his mind and dragged the youngster awake, calling for him to come. He called in the fox-mind for Jared and felt an answering brush against his mind. They had to get Sebastian into the icy waters of the lake, stop the burning. 

He looked towards the path in the blackness, willing Colin to appear or Jared to come. 

He dropped his hold on Sebastian afraid he was making his injuries worse. His hand brushed off something on the ground, something small, wet, soft and cold. Oh Gods, No no no no. Jensen patted around the area until he located the three kits. They were wet and chilled and they weren’t moving. 

Jared burst down through the tree above him, as the clouds thinned and the slender new moon offered a hazy glimmer of light. Jared took one look at the scene and scooped the unconscious Sebastian up in his arms. 

“To the lake,” Jensen called after his mate who had taken off in that direction. 

Jensen held the kits in close to his body and tried to rub each in turn to stimulate their blood flow. He was so focused on the infants, that he didn’t register Colin’s arrival, until the omega rushed back out of the den with blankets. They wrapped the kits and made their way down to the warmth of the new cabin.

Candice was helping Amber put on a large pot of oatmeal when they crashed through the door. The betas ran over taking the kits from Jensen, who searched in the wooden trunk to get towels.

“Blankets won’t do,” Candice said, “I’ve heard my mother talk about cases of hypothermia. They need body heat.”

“I’ll shift.” Colin offered, “I can curl up around them.”

“Me too,” Amber offered, “We could make a nest for them between us? What do you think Jensen?”

“Do it.” Jensen was drying the last kit, the little female who was the smallest of the three. He didn’t like her the way her pale chest was barely rising and the little spark of her awareness was dim. The other black furred female had wordlessly cried for mother as he had towelled her, and the male kit’s mind had been blank but he was breathing well.

He laid the little kits in between Amber-fox and Colin-fox.

Candice moved back to the range and the breakfast, “I’ll keep an eye on them, Pack Vixen. Do you want to go and check on Sebastian? It is almost dawn.”

Before Jensen could move, the door opened. Matt came first, followed by Misha who was carrying the surgical bag in front of his softly rounded belly, and finally Jared carrying a lake-soaked Sebastian.

Matt asked Candice and Jensen to clear some floor space to the left of the entrance. Misha spread a sheet on the floor, and Jared laid Sebastian down.

“OK,” Matt stood and looked around the cabin. “This is now a medical centre and non-essential personnel can clear out. Alpha, Vixen, that means you. Misha and Colin stay and monitor the kits, I will examine them once I have Sebastian stabilised. Betas take your pot of breakfast out of here.”

Everyone followed the doctor’s orders. Jared said he was due at the field. Once the four of them were outside the cabin, Jared turned to Jen, “You alright, mate?”

“Numb, Jare, my mind hasn’t caught up on what happened. Gods, why didn’t I stay in the omega den?”

“Stop, Jen. You can’t blame yourself. You saved them. You sensed it when you woke and you acted.”

“Alpha-Jared is right,” Candice added, “If you hadn’t gone to them, it would have been too late.”

“Now, Jen-mate, I need you to stay here with Amber.”

Jensen opened his lips to protest.

“Wait.” Jared put his hand on Jensen’s shoulder. “You do not want to be at the field when they bring Mark down. Foxes will be coming here for breakfast, either avoiding the carrying out of the sentence, or retreating from the field once it begins. The pack kits will come here. You can offer much more by being here for everyone. Also I want you just outside the cabin, in case Dr Cohen calls for help.”  
Jensen agreed to stay, glad to be able to look out for the kits, who were bound to be confused and perhaps curious.

Most of the foxes went to the field. Amber and Katie stayed with the kits and Jensen. 

Soon Samantha appeared back at the long table, “Seen too much death in my day,” she explained, “They have brought Mark down from the den. He keeps reaching towards Jared and pleading with him to forgive him. I can’t watch anymore.”

“Jensen,” Misha stuck his head out the door of the cabin, “Can you bring in some bowls of oatmeal?”

Jensen carried in the requested food, and laid it on the table. Colin and Misha began to eat wordlessly. Their faces grave. 

Dr Cohen was settling Sebastian into a comfortable position on his back, slightly tilted to his left side, with cushions supporting his weight. The omega seemed barely conscious and his arms were bandaged in white gauze. Two kits were tucked in a blanket against their omega-mother’s thigh.

“Where is the other kit?” Jensen asked.

Misha pointed at a little bump covered by a towel on the chair by the door.

“Fuck no.” Jensen exclaimed. He had been distracted in his thoughts, and hadn’t sensed the passing.

“I’m sorry, Pack Vixen,” the doctor commiserated, “She only just succumbed. I am hoping the others will benefit from being close to their mother. They are no longer chilled but...”

There was an ear-splitting cry from outside. Then the sounds of barking and fox-screams. The fox mind filled with curdling cries and was saturated in Red. 

Sebastian stirred, arms flailing, sending the kits flying. He grasped at his throat and his eyes rolled back in his head. Then he was seizing on the floor, the fit powering through his body.

“Misha! Syringes of valium and muscle relaxants, now.”

Misha grabbed the surgical bag and passed the injections to his mate. 

The seizure had passed by the time Matt dropped to the floor. He pushed the needle of valium into Sebastian’s arm, and then tilted his head forward to insert the relaxants at the back of his neck.

“Where is that useless Blacksmith? He was meant to be here at dawn to remove the collar. Jensen, Colin, take a kit each and sit by the range. Misha, I need another 50cc of the relaxant.”

Now that he was seated with the unresponsive male kit on his lap, Jensen allowed himself to worry that they might lose a whole family. 

There were waves of alpha-aggression and sorrow flowing through the pack mind, and he tried to block them out. He was almost ready to collapse from the strain of it all. He might have closed his eyes for a moment, when he felt Matt’s hand on his shoulder. The alpha leaned in to whisper in his ear, “You need to fetch Jared. His neck is hardening faster than I can chemically halt it.”

Jensen jumped to his feet and passed the kit to Misha. He raced through the foxes outside the cabin, who called at him for news. When he reached the field he could see Jared, Ian and Tony talking with Mark Sheppard, who was picking his teeth with a metal pin. Gerald was beside them, still in fox form, covered in blood. The others had blood spatters and Ian’s chin was red with gore. The body was gone.

Jared spotted Jensen and walked over to him. Jensen explained that the doctor said he was needed.

They ran ahead of the others to the cabin. When they entered, Jensen could see that Sebastian was now prone on floor, his upper body rigid and his neck strained at a wrong angle.

The doctor frowned and shook his head at Jared.

“Isn’t there anything you can do?” Jared pleaded.

Jensen caught Jared’s hand “It’s just not fair that Sebastian should die too.”

Matt looked at Jared, “I’ve done all I can. You are the only one with a chance of making a difference now.”

Jared’s face was clouded in shadow, and he closed his eyes. “It is my decision?”

“You know it is.” Matt confirmed.

“Jen, take Misha and Colin and the kits to the omega den.”

“What?” Jensen asked in surprise. “What is going on? What are you going to do?”

“Just go, Jen.”

Misha took his hand and they followed Jared’s order to leave. On the way out the door, Jensen overheard Matt saying to Jared “.... only option... if you are willing to try....”

As they made their way up to the omega den, Jensen looked back down hill, seeing Christopher leading Mark Sheppard into the cabin.

Jensen knew he should offer some comfort to Colin. The omega was pasty white, and his eyes were shining too bright. Jensen couldn’t imagine what the boy was feeling, reliving his own omega-mother’s death. He held a hand out and Colin took it. There were no words to deal with this. Jensen led Colin to the omega nest, with Misha following them humming a lullaby to the little kits he held. Without saying a word, all three omegas shifted to fox and burrowed into the blankets with the kits. 

To Jensen’s horror when he woke from his nap, he could only sense one kit. The other was motionless with its tiny tongue poking out of its blueing lips. Should he have insisted that Matt take the kits to the clinic? He knew about incubators and oxygen tents. Maybe their deaths could have been prevented. Maybe such newborns could not survive without both parents? He tucked the remaining infant under his chin. She seemed warm and healthy. 

He felt the brush of Jared-fox. His alpha was looking for him. 

Jensen poked Misha with his snout. When the tan fox responded he pushed the female kit towards him, as she gave a squeak of protest at being pushed around.

Then he exited the den to meet Jared. They shifted together and grabbed each other for a hug. Holding tight, Jared asked how things were in the omega den.

“We lost the boy-kit.” Jensen said sadly.

“I know, Jen, I felt him go. How is Colin?”

“It’s tough on him. He is holding himself together, but Gods I hope the last kit makes it.”

“Sebastian is stable. My plan of last resort seems to be working.”Jared didn’t sound happy about it. “Come with me, mate, we need to go to our own den and change into our formal clothes.”

“We do?” Jensen asked as they walked.

“Yeah. Can you feel the chaos in the pack?”

Jensen sensed the troubled thoughts and anxieties swirling in the fox mind.

“Jensen, we need to give the pack stability. I have an idea. I am going to call everyone together and talk to them. Let them know we are here for them and that the pack is strong.”

“Ahem, Jay?”

“Yes mate?”

“You know you said formal clothes? Do you want me to put on the leash?”

“No need to be that formal. We’ll just get dressed up to impress how serious we are taking our responsibilities.”

“Ahem, Jay?”

“Yes, Jen?” Jared smiled as they reached the entrance of their home.

“YouknowhowBlacksmithSheppardishere and IhavetheRedTag and Doyouwanthim tofixthecatch?”

Jared laughed. “Freaking slow down. You are giving me brain burn trying to understand that stream of words? I think you want to know if I am going to ask the smith to repair the snapped catch on the red tag.”

Jensen nodded.

“Well, don’t freak out, my good mate, but I am. You won’t need to wear it in the home den or on pack lands, OK? But I want you to wear it outside of our pack?”

Jensen considered this as they made their way into the nest and he passed Jared’s embroidered pack jacket to him. 

“I’m good with that. At home with the pack, the tag would be a nuisance as Pack Vixen,”another moment of panic at the thought of the words Pack Vixen, “But out there and at council meetings, yeah, alright, only you can touch me.” Jensen got the tag out of the wooden box on the shelf in the third room and gave it to Jared.

His alpha took the tag and vowed, “Outside of our pack only I can touch you, only you for me, always.”

Jensen pulled him in for a kiss before donning the ridiculous looking leather jerkin.

Jared took his hand as they made their way to the central pack area.

Jared called everyone to the central clearing. Jensen stood beside him as all their pack gathered, coming from the cabin, their dens and the woods. Alexander and Bradley emerged for the first time as mates. Christopher carried Sebastian down from the new cabin followed by blacksmith Mark, Doc Matt and Misha. 

All usual there was a random mix of human form and fox form present.

Jared’s voice boomed over the group, “Shift to human.” The command was followed instantly.

Jared continued, “I have called A Gathering.”

Jensen could hear a murmur of whispers through the assembled foxes. He guessed that this was not a regular occurrence.

“For the benefit of those of you,” Jared looked at Jensen, Alexander and Candice, “who may not have attended A Gathering, until I declare The Gathering at an end, everyone may speak freely, Alpha, Beta, Normal and Omega may share their voice with the family.”

Lilly had raised her hand.

Jared nodded at Lilly, “Kits too, Pack Alpha?”

“Yes Lilly, kits too, but you must have something important to say. You raise your hand, like you just did, and either myself or Vixen-Jensen will acknowledge your turn to contribute.”

Jared’s eyes scanned across the group. “We have come through many changes in the last few days, and in the past months. The Padalecki Pack is not the same one that I returned too. Some of these changes have been difficult and I wish to use this Gathering to spell out the way things are going to run from now on, but also to seek your help and counsel in building our new pack. We have lost family members; I know you all felt the departure of two of Omega Sebastian’s kits this morning. These were the third and fourth kits our pack has lost this year and I pray to the gods they will be the last.”

There were a few answering prayers of “may it be so” and “if the gods will it.” Jensen was unsure if he should have offered a prayer but he kept his mouth closed, rather than chance angering gods he had no faith in by paying lip service to them with hypocritical words.

“Jensen and I have pledged to serve you all as Pack Alpha and Vixen. The dark of the moon is in three weeks time and on that day we will host our first visiting delegation from the Wild Were Council. Once we have had our midday meal, I want everyone to drop any non essential tasks they were working on and meet up in groups to focus on what we will need to do to get our home ready for the delegation. Remember the wolves will not sleep in our dens, so we will need to prepare the cabin for them. The old cabin will house the jackals and coyotes. Stephen I need you to repair the roof on it. Take me aside later and tell me what supplies you will need from the town. Colin I need you to decide how we will prepare the Omega den, ask for help if you need it, as it will be used as the Safe Space.”

Colin raised his hand. “Ahem, mmm Jensen could you ask Alpha Jared if I can get some of the betas, maybe Tony and James, to finish digging out and enlarging the third room in the Omega Den, so it would not be so crowded.”

There was a wave of soft laughter and Colin’s cheeks turned pink. Jensen looked towards Jared, unsure if he was meant to repeat Colin’s message. 

Jared was grinning at Colin, and Jensen wanted to run his finger up and down over the dip of his mate’s dimples.

Jared’s grin eased to a smile “Omega Colin, at a Gathering please speak directly to me. You have made a very good suggestion. James and Tony will aid you. Any of the kits who want to be of help over the coming days, can ferry the dirt from the renovated room and have a good time stamping it into the lounging area in front of the den. I will now confirm the Pack Standings.”

There was a movement in the group as foxes looked to each other. 

Jensen wondered what Jared had decided, was he going to change things dramatically or just move people up rank, replacing himself and Mark? He knew some were going to be disappointed no matter what he decided.

“Ian Fell do you accept and undertake the position of Second of the Padalecki?”

There was an audible intake of breath. Jensen looked at James, Tony, Oliver and Christopher to see if any of them were going to object.

Ian stood, “Alpha Jared I do so accept. I have been a Padalecki for only a day, but you have been my Alpha for over three years. I am honored and I pledge to do my very best for the pack always.”

Jared looked at Candice, whose mouth was open frozen in surprise.

“Candice Fell, daughter of Accola, do you accept the position of Beta-Second of the Padalecki?” 

Jensen was surprised at this. Surely if Ian was Second, then Candice was Second-mate. Nobody had asked him if he had accepted being Second-mate, or being Vixen. Of course Candice was a beta, Jensen supposed that if she wanted to she could just walk away from the whole situation and go home to her town and her urban life.

“I, Candice Fell, do so accept and I pledge to learn the ways of the pack and to assist my Vixen to the best of my ability.” She smiled up at Jensen and he knew he had an ally in Candice.

Jared looked to the back of the Gathering, “Oliver Padalecki, do you accept and undertake the position of Third of the Padalecki?”

Oliver bounced to his feet holding his mate Katie’s hand, “Alpha Jared, I do so accept. Thank you Jared, for your faith in me. I won’t let you down.”

“Katie Padalecki, daughter of Cassidy, do you accept the position of Beta-Third of the Padalecki?”

“I do so accept, we accept, Oliver and me. Thank you.”

Jared looked to the sky as if seeking guidance from the gods. Then he touched Jensen’s neck and it seemed that he was taking comfort rather than giving it.

“I am going to assign my Fourth today. Once the Council visit is over and we have a chance to settle back into normal pack-life, I will have a meeting of Alphas and Betas and we will formalise the rest of the pack structure. Alexander Star, do you accept and undertake the position of Fourth of the Padalecki?”

There was an outcry. People were calling out their shock. James and Allyson looked stunned. Gerald was looking at his son as if he had lost his mind. Tony’s voice could be heard shouting “Alpha, the boy is only 16 years old.” Jensen knew what Jared had done by completely changing the pack hierarchy. He had surrounded himself with those who he trusted the most. Jensen slipped his hand into Jared’s large palm and squeezed it tight. 

Alexander and Bradley had made their way through the crowd to stand in front of Jared and Jensen. The young alpha spoke in a clear voice, “Alpha Jared, I do so accept. When you acknowledged me that first day on the bus, my life changed. Until then every day was a day of hunger and loss in an unfeeling world. Just being accepted into your pack has been a fantasy become reality. I will do my pack proud as Fourth. Alpha Jared, this is my true mate, Bradley son of Stephen.”

Bradley knelt in front of Jensen, lowering his sandy blond head to look at the ground. Jensen sucked in a breath as he remember how devastated he had been when Sherry had turned her back on him when he was introduced as Jared’s and Second-mate. He stepped forward and cupped the healing claiming mark above the black plaited leather of Bradley’s new collar. “I am very happy for you, Bradley Fourth-mate.”

Then Jared’s hand replaced Jensen’s, “Alexander is a lucky alpha, fourth-mate.” Jared pulled Bradley to his feet and enveloped him in a bear hug, lifting the omega’s feet off the ground. 

“Humph Bradley, that wasn’t as easy as when you were a kit. You are going to have to feed up your alpha so that he can catch up with you.”

Bradley looked down in Jared’s presence but he smiled shyly and said “I will Alpha. I am going to take care of Alexander-mate.”

When Alexander and Bradley had returned to the rest of the group, Jensen noticed they stood with Ian and Candice.

Jared cleared his throat. “Can I ask for everyone’s attention please?”

There was a bit of disgruntled shuffling but everyone focused on Jared once more.

“I have some more important pieces of business and then I will throw the floor open for comments. Firstly I would like to ask Matt if he can leave Misha here for the afternoon to help out, and if he would run Ian, Gerald and me into the town. We need to go to the bank and the pack lawyers to change the two names for authorisation on our accounts and assets to mine and Ian’s names. Blacksmith, when you have finished here if you go to the notary office there will be a cashier’s check waiting for you for your services today. In order to complete the handover, I expect Sherry to have cleared out the old Pack Alpha den by the time we return. I would appreciate it if beta and omega mates would help Candice to make that den her new nest. Jensen and I will remain in our own home.”

Sherry had raised her hand. 

Jared nodded at her.

“Son,” She spat with venom, “Where are your father and I meant to live? Are you shunning us now in favour of your new urban friends and feeble excuse for a vixen?”

“Beta- Sherry,” Jared’s voice was icy calm, “you forget yourself. I will forgive your outburst in the context of The Gathering, but if you ever disrespect the Pack Vixen again, I will invoke the ancient laws and have your tongue removed. Do you understand me?”

Sherry dropped her head in submission but she was shaking with rage.

“Alpha-Samantha, now that Bradley has mated, you have an extra room in your den. Would you and Beta-Stephen accept the former pack alpha and vixen into your den?”

Samantha raised her hand, “Alpha-Jared, we will make Alpha-Gerald and Beta-Sherry welcome.”

Jensen wondered if Jared was subjecting poor Samantha and Stephen to a miserable arrangement but Samantha was an old fox who had grown up with Gerald and Jensen though that perhaps there was a chance that things would settle between them.

“Finally regarding living arrangements, I would like the pack to help Alexander and Bradley move into the den of the previous Third. My next item for The Gathering is of a serious nature. I know that everybody has been very concerned about Sebastian, and his chances of surviving the loss of his alpha.”

There was silence as the pack waited for news. 

“This morning Jensen-mate found Sebastian collapsed in the embers of the omega home-fire. His arms were badly burned and we had to get Doctor Matt to tend to his injuries. Jensen found the three kits who were chilled and hungry. Unfortunately Sebastian could not suckle the kits with his injuries. Misha and Colin have been tending to the kits all morning. “ 

Jensen was amazed that Jared could summarise in such few words all the events of the morning. He spotted Bradley’s stunned and grief stricken face. Alexander bent his head down to rest his cheek on the top of his mate’s head and pulled him close. Jensen couldn’t imagine the shock Bradley must be feeling at the news, having been secluded in the old cabin with Alexander since the day before.

Jared continued, “Matt did not give us much hope for Sebastian. His claiming mark was already hardening and he could no longer turn his head.” 

Jared let out a huff of air, as he relived his difficult decision. “In order to save his life I have given Sebastian to Christopher, supplanting Sebastian’s old mating bond with his new joining to Christopher and Rosie. They have three amazing children already, and I know they always wanted more but couldn’t risk a third beta-pregnancy. Christopher will accept and raise the baby-kit as his own. Christopher and Rosie bring your mate up please.”

Christopher had to carry Sebastian. His arms were wrapped in the white gauze. There was a simple thin metal ring, with an orange tag of a second mate, around his neck standing out against the white newly air exposed skin, temporarily in place of his old collar. Christopher had to place him on the ground and manoeuvre him into a kneeling position, then stand close to support his wavering omega. Rosie came and stood on Sebastian’s other side lending her weight to hold him up.

“Alpha-Jared, this is our omega-mate Sebastian of the Pack.” Christopher and Rosie intoned together.

Jensen tasted salt, and realised he was weeping, tears flowing onto his lips. There was no joy here, the opposite of Alexander’s announcement only minutes earlier.

Christopher had turned Sebastian’s body slightly so that he was facing Jensen.

Jensen carefully lowered his hand to lightly cover the still bleeding claiming bite mark. “Sebastian, darling, you need to decide to live. You a have beautiful kit who needs her omega-mother and now you have an alpha and a beta mate who will need you to bring all of yourself to the only triangle mating in the pack. You have not lost here Sebastian, you have gained a family. You have Alpha-Christopher and Beta-Rosie to guide you and you have your new children, Lilly, Emma and Pasha to bring you joy and hope.” Jensen moved his hand to run it through Sebastian’s hair, hoping Jared would overlook the intimate touch. “You must live now, Sebastian.”

Jared stepped up beside his mate and pulled his hand out of Sebastian’s hair. Then replaced it with his own and moved down to cover the claim mark with it. “My mate has said everything for me.”

Lilly, Emma and Pasha came up to help their Alpha-Father bring Sebastian back to where they had been sitting. Rosie remained in front of the Pack Alpha and Vixen.

Jared paused, and when he spoke again his tone was grave. “We have lost two more foxes this morning. Rosie please bring the kits here.”

Rosie gestured to Emma who brought up a little package of woven grasses from by her feet and gave it to her mother. Rosie held it up reverently on her two upturned palms. She then turned around and faced the group saying, “This was Kit Dog Star and Kit Vixen Star, they have followed their father to the Forest Beyond.”

There was a chorus of “Travel well, Kits Star.”

Jared whispered in Jensen’s ear, “Hold out your hands, Rosie is going to pass you the kits, you then place them at your feet.”

Rosie turned and solemnly placed the dead kits on Jensen’s hands, and then she bowed her head and backed away. Jensen looked down at the tiny package. His heart filled with sadness at the little lives that had been so short. Once he had gently laid the kits at his feet, he looked at Jared for guidance.

Jared rubbed the mating mark at the back of Jensen’s neck and bent over to touch foreheads, offering wordless comfort. Then he turned back to The Gathering.

“Beta-Sherry, before sunset you will take Vixen Jensen and Second-mate Candice to where the departed alpha father of Kits Star is buried and pass on the duty and the knowledge of the burial ritual to them.”

Sherry didn’t look happy but she lowered her eyes “I will Pack Alpha.”

Jared turned back to Rosie. “I think we should finish all our business on a happier note. Misha and Colin can you bring the kit up to her new beta-mother please.”

When Rosie was cuddling the tiny black ball of fluff against her breast, Jared asked her, “Please grant your new daughter a place in the pack, and give her the gift of her name.”

“Alpha Jared, Vixen Jensen, I name this kit Daisy Eccelston, daughter of Christopher, Rosie and Sebastian Eccleston, sister of Lilly, Emma and Pasha, please accept my daughter.”

Jared took the kit and handed her to Jensen. Jensen looked down on Daisy, thinking of earlier when he sat in the rain calling for Colin to help him save Sebastian and the babies. He gave the little mite a rub on her belly and then passed her back to Jared.

Jared held Daisy in the crook of his elbow, using his index finger to stroke the top of her head. He looked out at the crowd. “Another new pack member,” he grinned, “I am going to have to start a waiting list. Welcome Daisy of the Padalecki Pack.”

There was a chorus of “Welcome” and “Welcome little kit.”

Jensen followed Jared’s lead in handing the kit back to Rosie, a part of him sorry to see the little ball of fuzz go.

As Rosie made her way back to her family, Jared addressed the Gathering. “Okay pack members, let me have it, Any other business?”

Oliver raised his hand.

“Oliver, you have a comment?”

“Yes Alpha, we are all starving. It is an hour passed midday. Can we just eat?”

There was laughter all around.

“Any objections?” Jared cast his eyes over everyone, lingering on those who had been overlooked in the new hierarchy, but no one raised a hand. “Okay. I declare The Gathering at an end. Everyone help Amber get the meal up as soon as possible.”

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

_Midsummer’s Eve_

_I am loathe to apply ink to these creamy parchment pages, but it would be wrong to leave O’s magnificent gift as an ornament. I have never had such a beautiful diary and I am sure this is one of the finest produced by the Three Mountain’s paper mills._

_I had intended to start sooner but time is a precious thing in pack life. Having an evening alone in the omega den is a true luxury. Gives me time to nurse my backache and try not to panic about having a whole litter playing soccer in my belly._

_My Jared will be home tomorrow. If I concentrate very forcefully I can sense his presence, almost smell the sweet honey and fresh grass. I hope the Wild Were Council meeting with the government representatives has been a success. It is at One Blood wolf pack. I gave Jared letters for Daniel and O. Hopefully I’ll get ones in return. Daniel has been font of information on his role as she-wolf for the premiere wolf pack. O has been brilliant. He has such an awesome sense of humour, and his tips on the pack mind have offered me a unique insight in the abilities that are possible to achieve._

_Envoy Andrew Lincoln was here earlier, he said the government agreed on the first day that the remaining imprisoned alphas would be released from the ST Homes, and that the council has agreed to offer new homes any who want to return to the wild. Jared sent a message that we are taking two young Star foxes, as the Star Pack would be overwhelmed by all their returnees._

_Colin had some kind of freak-out when Lincoln left. He fixated on the irrational idea that Jared is adding unmated alphas to the pack so that one of them will claim him. I did my best to try and convince him that isn’t true, but in the end I had to ask Alexander to let Colin stay in his den with Bradley for the night. Thank the gods that Alexander is not bothered by Colin and Bradley’s friendship. Sometimes I wish Jare would be the same about Misha and me._

_Jay is so good to me. He gives me all of himself, but it can be suffocating. I understand why he is so possessive. I was so frightened of him and his jealous streak at the start, until I learned how kind and gentle he really is. I want to bundle him up like a kit sometimes and tell him everything will be alright. His life before was full of secret abuse and parental neglect. His mother obsessed by her legacy so much that she thrust her son into Mark’s care and later focused solely on her own beta-successor. His parents were so dedicated to pure wild pack ways that they didn’t even look for their own son for three years, content with his presence in the fox-mind that told him that he was still alive._

_At least they have truly taken a back seat in the pack now. Gerald seems content with his role in dealing with the farms and taking the evening patrol. Sherry is still like poison. I know she is Jared’s mother but Gods, I wish that Jared hadn’t granted Gerald mercy on her and we could have exiled her from the pack. She doesn’t say much but when she does she proves she is still a bitch. She had Beta-Lilly in tears yesterday, berating her on how she was holding Daisy to give her a bottle, and saying she was surprised the kit was growing at all without suckling. I was coming down from here with Sebastian who was having a break from his big family and we heard every word. Poor Seb stopped dead, and I had to tell Sherry to leave and convince Lilly that she was a great sister._

_I’m not surprised that Felix moved out of his father’s den. That dynamic of being a young alpha living with the former pack alpha and an alpha grandmother, as well as having his beta-father telling him what to do, and having to cater to Sherry’s whims must have driven him around the bend. He stayed in our small third room for a week. Ian and Candice’s den has a generous third room and Ian asked if his trainee would like to live with them. I was selfishly grateful when Jay agreed. I like having our den to ourselves._

_Matt gave me my check up this afternoon, and Misha brought little Valerie with him. Once five (oh Gods five!) strong heartbeats had been present and correct, Matt went to give Daisy and Sebastian their checkups. Misha put Valerie on my belly and I swear the whole litter tried to swim up to meet her. The indigestion was not worth the guffaw from Mish, about our kids already bonding. It was alright for him, with only one to squeeze out his birthing passage. How am I going to do five? Jared and Matt say I’m freaking over nothing, that nature will take its course. At least I’m not the only one having baby-panics in the pack, Bradley is having some kind of weight gain freak-out now that he is starting to show._

_Now I really have to put down this diary and look at the lesson plans that Alexander sent me for approval. He and Candice have taken over the classes for me, but the younger kits insist that I still end the lessons with my stories. Oliver thinks I should write them down, but I don’t think they are good enough for that._

_Time to move, as the kits are trying to burrow under my ribs now. Hunter, Hope, Hera, Hecate and Hillary. I’m trying not to use the names when talking to them because Jared thinks they are called Devon, Jennifer, Cissy, Olivia and Alan. He is big on family names, but I think we should wait until we see them until we decide. He says it is tradition to name the first litter after relations. We have had words over this. He might be my alpha but I am Pack Vixen and I haven’t given up on my favorite names just yet._

_Happy Midsummer Kits from your Omega-Momma._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone for their encouraging comments and for leaving kudos.
> 
> I have been so happy that people have liked my dear foxes.
> 
> Timestamp next.


End file.
